Unless you kill someone I generally don’t believe in life long criminal records. They only serve to drive people into further criminality.
I imagine for a robbery you could get 5 years in prison, 5 years with it on your record and then automatically get it expunged.
Back to the topic at hand , what if the IT hack stopped people from getting paid on time. How many suffered emotional distress ? Evictions can literally cause suicide.
Maybe someone can’t afford medication, skip it and have a stroke.
The entire criminal justice system is broken. So you did something stupid at 20, at 46 you still can’t find a job due to your record.
People want simple easy solutions. Things are much more complicated. If you release a dozen felons 5 years early and 2 go on to commit horrific crimes it’s easy to ignore the good the other 10 did
Welcome to the War On Redemption. Primary participants are the harmful people who create these systems and the people who remain silent while countless lives are ruined for no good result.
Even if I agree that it's a dumb practice, you're proposing a world where employers are free to refuse your hire if you (eg.) were fired from a job 26 years ago, but not because you were convicted of a crime.