With a click of a mouse, the public and potential employers will have easy access to 2.2 million crime records in Philadelphia beginning May 30.
The project aims to provide better communication and management of court records, said Steve Schell, a spokesman for the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts.
Critics, however, say that the plan could hamper criminals' opportunities to obtain housing and jobs.
Attorney Richard Harris said that while employers may not openly say so, having any criminal record is a formidable obstacle to employment.
Harris is representing College junior Bryan Warner, whom police have charged with attempted murder, alleging that he shot a man in the thigh outside of a West Philadelphia deli last month.
The online database will also list cases in which charges were dropped or the defendant was found not guilty, so Warner's record will be included in the database regardless of the outcome of his case, Harris said.
He added that unless individuals file a petition to expunge cases in which they have been acquitted, that information will remain a part of their record.
Counties throughout Pennsylvania have been putting the statewide initiative into effect since 2003, and Philadelphia is one of the last counties to take the step.
Penn Criminology professor Lawrence Sherman said the database could work to prevent anyone with any sort of criminal history from getting a job.
"The problem is how exactly to interpret criminal history," he said.
For instance, Sherman said, someone who commits one crime as a juvenile may successfully reform after that.
"If you just interpret all criminal records as yes-or-no conditions, you're going to misunderstand what they really mean," he said.
While critics of the initiative said that the database could be improperly used by employers, Penn Career Services Director Patricia Rose said that it should not affect students who are looking for jobs because companies often don't conduct background checks for entry-level candidates unless the nature of the occupation requires it.
"These recruiters are too busy," she said.
Most recruiters who come to Penn are not from the state, and therefore won't likely be aware of the database, Rose said.
However, even organizations located in Philadelphia, such as Teach for America's Center City branch, may shy away from the online shortcut.
Teach for America's Philadelphia Executive Director Tracy-Elizabeth Clay said that although any crime is significant when a candidate is applying for a teaching position, having a criminal offense doesn't eliminate all chances of obtaining employment with the organization.
"It's not a permanent barrier," Clay said.
