#8 Public Records (Local)

   Public Records are documents or pieces of information that are not considered confidential and generally pertain to the conduct of government. To be more specific, the purpose of public records is to help maintain the transparency and accountability in government. To add to that, public records is information that is recorded and stored by the government in which the public has access to view it. Public records are created by the federal and local government. For example, driving records, criminal records, immigration periods etc. When taking a look at magnoliareporter.com,I couldn't help but to come across news that has happened in the Magnolia area. Magnolia is not considered a huge town, so when criminal activity takes place it doesn't take long for the whole town to find out. 

 

    When taking a look at magnoliareporter.com website, I couldn't help but to see news about the Columbia County Justice and Detention Facility. "38 people are currently incarcerated at the Columbia County Justice and Detention Facility. When doing a quick google search about this particular facility, it automatically brought me to the Columbia County Inmate Roster. Magnolia, Arkansas can be considered smaller than most towns, so most inmates from here are sent to Columbia County since it is near-by. When you click on the page, you see the most recent booking date all the way down to the oldest booking date. The roster shows what the inmate was charged for, booking number, booking time and date, and the amount of their bond if they have one. It even sometimes lists the day that they will appear in court. When analyzing the roster, I happened to see 3 familiar faces. The three dudes were my former classmates: Odies Wilson, Shaivonn Robinson, and Lekameron Tolbert. The three victims were charged with capital murder and aggravated robbery. It’s unfortunate that this incident happened on my own college campus and I'm sure it’s devastating to all staff and students. Furthermore, public records are important to not only the public, but to the society as a whole. Being able to know who the most wanted criminals are, sex offenders, and the amount of inmates in a particular jail can keep not just local people alert but everyone!