PASSAGE 1 — LAW [1] When a person completes a criminal sentence, the formal punishment ends, but a publicly searchable record may continue to restrict employment and housing. Many jurisdictions therefore allow some records to be sealed. Traditionally, sealing requires an individual petition, notice to prosecutors, and a judicial decision. Supporters of this case-by-case model say that it permits attention to rehabilitation, public safety, and the circumstances of each offense. [2] Critics respond that petition systems often reward legal knowledge rather than rehabilitation. Eligible people may not know that sealing exists, may misunderstand the forms, or may be unable to pay for assistance. Studies of several jurisdictions have found that only a small fraction of eligible people successfully petition. On this view, low participation is not evidence that most people are unsuitable; it is evidence that the process itself is a barrier. [3] Automatic sealing statutes attempt to remove that barrier by directing agencies to seal eligible records after a fixed period without a new offense. Yet automation is not merely a faster version of petitioning. It changes the location of judgment: legislators define categories in advance, while agencies apply those rules to records in bulk. That design can make outcomes more consistent, but inaccurate or incomplete databases may produce erroneous sealing or failure to seal. [4] The soundest reform would therefore combine automatic treatment for clearly defined, low-risk categories with a petition process for unusual cases and an accessible method for correcting data. This hybrid does not eliminate individualized judgment; it reserves such judgment for cases in which it is most useful while preventing routine administrative burdens from defeating the statute's purpose. QUESTION 4: Why does the author state that the hybrid reform does not eliminate individualized judgment?

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