Offenders Deserve Real Second Chances Criminal Records...

Ex offenders Deserve Real Second Chances: Criminal Records Should Be Deleted after Their Incarceration and Probation is over. Sabrina Jordan EN 1000 SCPS Writing and Language Jill Archer Abstract I am looking for something exciting cating I was thinking ablout starting with statistics about success rateds of ex offenders gaining gainful emplomnet verses the ones tha end up back in jail again . im looking under the deprtment of justice for these statistics and I want to end witht the argument how do we really give them a secong chance when around every corner they are being judged by their past, Some states have come up with not allowing their records to be accessed talk about the states that have made this a law, how well is†¦show more content†¦Merriam-Webster’s defines stigma as, â€Å"a set of negative and often unfair beliefs a society or group of people have about something.† This is called the invisible punishment. The stigma of incarceration follows the released individual, even though they have served their time and, generally, prompts people to perceive the individual through a negative lens. In fact, it has become generally understood that individuals in any stigmatized group are viewed as of lesser value and their person, discredited, resulting in further social exclusion. This invisible punishment leads formerly incarcerated individuals to experience ostracism and alienation from the community, instead of support. As individuals begin to feel more shame, their self-esteem lowers and the alienation can have a dehumanizing effect. These negative experiences have the power to shift a once positive mindset, aimed towards successful reentry, to a negative one where individuals begin to exhibit behaviors of silence and concealment. One commentator aptly observed that, â€Å"the status as ex-offender is only one part of a person’s identify, yet it can become the most prominent defining characteristics for representing self.† The effects of being in a stigmatized group, however, are not limited to the formerly incarcerated individual alone. These perceptions can trickle over into how the family is perceived. In addition to this compelling synopsis of these accounts the Bureau