Stanton Wheeler - On Record: Files and Dossiers in American Life

RUSSELL SAGE FOUNDATION was established in 1907 by Mrs. Russell Sage for the improvement of social and living conditions in the United States. In carrying out its purpose the Foundation conducts research under the direction of members of the staff or in close collaboration with other institutions, and supports programs designed to improve the utilization of social science knowledge. As an integral part of its operations, the Foundation from time to time publishes books or pamphlets resulting from these activities. Publication under the imprint of the Foundation does not necessarily imply agreement by the Foundation, its Trustees, or its staff with the interpretations or conclusions of the authors.

This study was originally supported by Russell Sage Foundation.

Second printing 2016

Copyright 1976 by Transaction Publishers, New Brunswick, New Jersey.

Originally published 1969 by Russell Sage Foundation.

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Library of Congress Catalog Number: 75-43359

ISBN: 978-0-87855-607-6

eBook: 978-1-4128-4511-3

Printed in the United States of America

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Main entry under title:

On record: files and dossiers in American life.

(Law and society; 1) Includes index.

1. Privacy, Right ofUnited StatesAddresses, essays, lectures. 2. Public recordsUnited StatesAddresses, essays, lectures. 3. Personnel recordsAddresses, essays, lectures, 1. Wheeler, Stanton, 1930-1. Title.

ISBN 0-87855-607-9 pbk.

Contents

STANTON WHEELER

DAVID A. GOSLIN AND NANCY BORDIER

BURTON R. CLARK

RODOLFO ALVAREZ AND WILBERT E. MOORE

JAMES RULE, DAVID CAPLOVITZ, AND PIERCE BARKER

IVAR BERG AND JAMES SALVATE

H. LAURENCE ROSS

JOSEPH STEINBERG

ROGER W. LITTLE

JESSE ORLANSKY

DON H. ZIMMERMAN

EDWIN M. LEMERT

KAI T. ERIKSON AND DANIEL E. GILBERTSON

ABRAHAM S. GOLDSTEIN

This volume was made possible by a grant from Russell Sage Foundation. The contributions from the Foundation staff, however, go beyond the mere provision of monetary support. A number of my Foundation colleagues provided helpful suggestions and comments, both in the formulation of the general idea of the volume and in the various stages of preparation. I want particularly to thank Lindsey Churchill, who commented on an earlier draft of the Introduction and on a number of the other chapters.

Carol Levine was responsible for copy-editing and the index, and I am much in her debt. Both she and Betty Davison of the Foundation's publications staff were uncommonly helpful.

Christine Valibus Daillet was responsible for a large share of the typing of the manuscript and for communications with the various authors. She deserves credit for a job well done.

Finally, I wish to express my own appreciation to all the authors for their valuable contributions.

S. W.

Rodolfo Alvarez

Assistant Professor of Sociology

Yale University

Pierce Barker

Department of Social Relations

Harvard University

Ivar Berg

Professor of Business Administration

Columbia University

Nancy Bordier

Teachers College

Columbia University

David Caplovitz

Bureau of Applied Social Science Research

Columbia University

Burton R. Clark

Chairman, Department of Sociology

Yale University

Kai T. Erikson

Professor of Sociology

Yale University

Daniel E. Gilbertson

Department of Sociology

Yale University

Abraham S. Goldstein

Professor of Law

Yale Law School

David A. Goslin

Sociologist, Russell Sage Foundation

Edwin M. Lemert

Professor of Sociology

University of California, Davis

Roger W. Little

Associate Professor of Sociology

University of Illinois at Chicago Circle

Wilbert E. Moore

Sociologist, Russell Sage Foundation

Jesse Orlansky

Institute for Defense Analysis

H. Laurence Ross

Professor of Law and Sociology

University of Denver, School of Law

James Rule

Nuffield College, Oxford

James Salvate

Graduate School of Business Administration

Columbia University

Joseph Steinberg

Social Security Administration

Stanton Wheeler

Professor of Law and Sociology

Yale Law School

Don H. Zimmerman

Assistant Professor of Sociology

University of California, Santa Barbara

A birth certificate documents the arrival of a newborn member of our society and a certificate of death his exit. Prior to his birth a doctor will have recorded his prenatal development, and after his death legal files will record the settlement of his affairs.

Between birth and death there will be recorded many significant events of his life as well as qualities and performances that give his life its distinctive character and shape. Beginning at least with his arrival in school, records will accumulate regarding his budding career; his abilities will be measured, his personality assessed, his performance in school recorded, both in and out of the classroom. If his family is on welfare, there will be additional records; should be run afoul of the police and the courts, there will be other files.

When he reaches adolescence, interest in his vocational abilities and choices will be duly recorded, either through schools or employment agencies. And, when he finally leaves the world of schooling (which may not be until he is in his early thirties), his progress marked by more files in more institutions, new records will be initiated regarding his employment history and his financial affairs. At some point, he will have applied for a social security number, which he will have cause to write down again and again during his life.

Also, at some point, he is likely to marry and need a loan, these events often occurring surprisingly close together. The marriage will be recorded, perhaps to become an issue later if the marriage is dissolved. And his need for a loan, or at least for an established checking account, will start another series of records concerning his financial status, his purchasing habits, and particularly his bill-paying habits.

Most of these paper traces of ones existence and career will be developed for any conventional member of the society. But any special interests or activities are likely to initiate another set of files, a set which the individual will share with fewer others, and indeed, which taken as a whole, might describe him uniquely. Should be enter the military, a whole collection of files will be opened, and similarly for entry into classified occupations, prisons or mental hospitals, psychiatric clinics or probation offices. If he wishes to leave the country, forms for a passport will be filled out; if he stays within the country but harbors foreign ideas, files may develop in intelligence agencies. And if he joins clubs, buys property, stock, or virtually any other goods or services, further entries will be made. Indeed, by the time he is ready to retire, still further records will be made to justify his receiving retirement benefits; and if he has not done so before, he is likely to have a lawyer draw up a will which will become another part of the record upon his death.