Review of Lageson’s Digital Punishment: Privacy, Stigma, and the Harms of Data-Driven Criminal Justice

Stigma, and the Harms of Data-Driven CriminalJustice is a rich sociological analysis of the data-driven criminal justice system in the United States.To prevent mass incarcerations, racial profiling, and police brutality resulting from this system, it is often argued that digitally documented criminal records can potentially bring transparency and facilitate robust public watchdogging.The often-underlying rationale stated for employing technology is to bring about fairness, objectivity, and neutrality.On the contrary, Lageson argues that these records cause perpetual harms to people's lives, alongside massive commodification of these records.She concludes this after examining the competing mandates, goals, and diverging responsibilities and consequences of these criminal records in the information age.To arrive at this, she unravels the complex relationship between internet websites (big tech, background check sites, etc.), police, prisons, courts, and people.This exploration is accompanied by sociological analysis of aggrieved individuals' narratives, highlighting the contours of privacy and the harmful and degrading effects on their lives.