Proposal to Seal Criminal Court Non-Conviction Records Unsound

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Criminal Justice Journalists, joined by the Coalition of Journalists for Open Government and eight of its member organizations, have urged the American Bar Association to reject a proposal that supoorts the sealing of criminal court records in any case not resulting in a conviction. The letter to the ABA says the mere fact that a case is not prosecuted or a conviction not won does not lessen the importance of the public’s knowing about it. “Sealing records where convictions were not obtained could lead to covering up rampant abuses,” the letter adds. (1/31/07)