This paper concerns what if any obligations a “society of equals” has to criminal offenders after legal punishment ends. In the United States, when people leave prisons, they are confronted with a wide range of federal, state, and local laws that burden their ability to secure welfare benefits, public housing, employment opportunities, and student loans. Since the 1980s, these legal consequences of criminal convictions have steadily increased in their number, severity, and scope. The central question I want to ask is whether the infliction of these burdensome legal consequences for those who have already been punished by the state is consistent with the ideal of equality. I argue that these collateral legal consequences violate relational egalitarian principles of justice and are thus objectionable. I conclude by examining possible objections to my argument.

本文关注的是“平等社会”在法律惩罚结束后对刑事犯罪者是否有任何义务。在美国，当人们离开监狱时，他们面临着范围广泛的联邦、州和地方法律，这些法律对他们获得福利、公共住房、就业机会和学生贷款的能力造成了负担。自 1980 年代以来，这些刑事定罪的法律后果在数量、严重程度和范围上稳步增加。我想问的核心问题是，对已经受到国家惩罚的人施加这些沉重的法律后果是否符合平等的理想。我认为这些附带的法律后果违反了正义的关系平等原则，因此是令人反感的。