Posted On: December 7, 2007, 4:28 pm CST

Posted By: KLS

Maybe I've been watching too much CSI, but if someone has been convicted of a crime, especially a felony, isn't there already a record of that information available to law enforcement agencies? Perhaps it's not in a pretty little database of all arsonsists only or all sex offenders only or all drug selling hippies only; but I'm 99% sure the info is merely a well-placed phone call away.

Should or would such databases be available to the general public? I haven't decided. I can see very solid points both for and against it. If someone has served their sentence for their misdeed, then in the eyes of the law, they're reset back to "normal" in most cases and should be allowed some privacy. However, there are times where I think they should never have a "right" to privacy again, especially with those who have committed crimes against children or sex offenders...

But arson? I think I'd rather have access to a habitual drunk driver database than an arsonist database. Both are dangerous offenses, but one is far more common and probably a much bigger problem than the other.