It is a common belief that the personal information of criminals who have been convicted of violent crimes should be kept private. However, there is a persuasive argument that this information should be broadcast to the general public to safeguard members of the community.
One the one hand, some people say that making criminals’ information public is a short-sighted approach that can victimize innocent people. They believe that the community may look down on the criminal’s family members based on their association. In fact, this belief was realized recently when a student committed suicide after his father’s criminal records were released. He could not handle the ridicule from members of his community. The mistreatment of the boy’s family was inherently unfair since they had stayed out of trouble and were not at fault for the crime.
Nevertheless, announcing an offender’s crimes can protect the community. By publicizing private information about criminals, the repetition of crimes can be prevented. This is because when criminal records are known, neighbors are able to keep an eye on the criminal’s activity and report anything illegal or suspicious to the police. Furthermore, it can lead to better protection for more members of society. For example, in the United States, a provision known as “Megan’s Law” requires police to make information about registered sex offenders available to the public. Because of this, criminals are monitored more closely and there are higher levels of security overall. Ultimately, the average person is able to protect himself or herself more effectively through this system.
To sum it all up, while it is apparent that some people feel that we should protect the privacy of violent criminals, it is undeniable that it is more important for their information to be released to the community.