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| Ohio takes info on ex-cons off Web site |
| By Cleveland Plain Dealer |
| Published: 04/05/2004 |
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It's not as easy as it used to be to find out if your neighbor is an ex-con. The Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction removed the names, photos and records of all former prison inmates from its Web site about three weeks ago. In all, the department removed information on an estimated 300,000 people, dating to the late 1970s, department spokeswoman Andrea Dean said. Computer users can still get information from the Web site about current inmates and those under community supervision. But residents now have to call the department to get information about former inmates. Corrections Director Reginald Wilkinson decided to remove the names after fielding complaints for years from former inmates and their families, Dean said. "They were saying how hard it was getting employment," Dean said. "Having their pictures on the Web was a barrier to them moving forward." David Marburger, a Cleveland lawyer who specializes in public-records law, said state agencies are not required by law to even have Web sites. But, Marburger said, he disagrees with the policy of removing the information. Frank Deaner, executive director of the Ohio Newspaper Association, said public records should be easily accessible. "The convict's record remains accessible by making a phone call," Deaner said. "To me, if you're going to make it accessible at that point, what's the difference in putting it on the Internet?" The newspaper association is trying to amend a bill in the Ohio Senate to create a study commission to review what public information state agencies should make available on their Web sites, Deaner said. The corrections department has posted information about former inmates on its Web site since 1998, the prison system's Dean said. |
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