Digital Degradation

Interviews with more than 100 people whose records appear online show how the ability to manage digital punishment is directly tied to a person’s familiarity with technological systems and their faith in bureaucracy. Instead of confronting the government or the criminal justice system, many people engage in digital avoidance, afraid that any attempts will only make the problem worse. This intersection between the criminal justice system and technology reproduces social inequality at the speed of the internet, disproportionately impacting people who have less access to and command over digital technologies. This chapter discusses the qualities of digital punishment, the strategies people who are experiencing digital punishment deploy to deal with their online stigma, and an explanation for why many people choose to engage in digital avoidance rather than try to have their online record removed. Rooted in theories of the digital divide and the disparate impact of big data technologies, the chapter concludes with a discussion of how digital punishment challenges long-held theories of criminal stigma, desistance, and rehabilitation.