Innocent until proven guilty? Public records aren’t built that way
Record Fixer works to simplify an extremely complicated problem:
More than 70 million people in the US have a criminal record – that’s roughly one-third of the adult working age population – the same number of people with a 4-year college degree.
Arrests are public information – that means they can be accessed by anyone.
The public data collection industry is bigger and more complex than you can image – a massive web of individual databases too large to monitor privacy.
Consumer Reporting Agencies (CRAs) hold onto every piece of data they can, even outdated information. Even if your record is cleared with the courts, it doesn’t mean it goes away on the databases of record collectors.
For Employers, any arrest is a red flag, even if you’re not convicted.
94% of employers use criminal background checks on candidates, with 31% admitting that an arrest, even without conviction, would be at least “somewhat influential” in their hiring decision.
Seventy million Americans are barred – by law or stigma – from contributing to the economy because of their criminal record, even if they were never charged. This is a social justice problem.
