Currently I am in the process of arranging an internship abroad and one of the things I needed to send was a “letter of good conduct by the police” for their security check on my person. Now, I don’t have that much working experience, but I recall that I had to get that for my civil service as well, even though the civil service is (kind of) mandatory anyway.
I think that most jobs inquire about the criminal record of potential employees, so I wonder whether it is a good thing to make the criminal records that easily available.
After all, unless I am convicted of a - imho, ymmv - serious crime like rape or murder, why would it be anybody’s business to know? And more importantly, if I did make a mistake early on in my life (which I did not, fortunately) that shows in my records, who is going to hire me? Isn’t my life ruined over a minor transgression? I am of the opinion that once people have received their punishment and served their time (if it is even a jailable offense) then they shouldn’t have to endure any more disadvantages. How can a person better themselves, if they get out of jail and don’t find any legal work anymore?
It’s a contentious issue, and there’s loads of potential for abuse. However, there are good reasons why people wouldn’t want to hire someone previously convicted of certain offenses, and why those people could appear negligent if they didn’t inquire.
Obvious examples:
job dealing with money: prior conviction for embezzlement, fraud, etc.
job dealing with children: prior conviction for molestation.
Tricky one that. Its a balance between the rights of the individual, and the rights of employers to know they could be hiring a potential criminal. For example, some jobs involve large financial or safety responsibilities - I for one would not be happy to see those jobs go to past criminals.
There is no ideal solution, but I think trivial offences should be removed from a person’s criminal record after a short time if they do not re-offend. More serious offences should stay on their record for far longer.
That has always struck me as the strongest punishment for petty crime. Most misdemeanors are punishable only by fines, probation and maybe a suspended sentence but answering ‘have you ever been convicted of a crime other than a traffic violation’ on a job application has always struck me as the worst punishment for petty crime. Hopefully some employers will look beyond that though, just hope its not an embarassing crime.