Jeff Downer There are those who believe there is some benefit to using someone else’s name or an alias when being arrested. The fact is that any benefit is short lived at best and creates even more long term problems in this age of extensive integrated automated fingerprint identification (IAFIS) database networks and post 9/11 diligence.
How? The most important thing to bear in mind is that within the criminal justice system, people are literally numbers, not names. These numbers are associated with fingerprints, pictures and other unique physical identifiers of the person actually arrested and become part of nationwide computer databases. Whatever alias name or names that are used simply become notations attached to those identifying numbers.
Using multiple names is no different than changing one’s hairstyle or getting a new tattoo. Besides, having more than one legitimate name is hardly unusual within the criminal justice system, consider those folks who have maiden and married names. Their identification number still doesn’t change when they marry.
Then there are the long term problems that arise with using different folk’s identities. Now the system can earmark that person as deceptive and, as such, untrustworthy. This earmark can have negative repercussions when setting bail and determination of a sentence. This stigma can remain beyond the initial instance of using an alias. Also there are the hassles which must be sorted out for any friend or family member whose name may have been used (usually by obtaining a certified document they not the individual associated with that case).
The fact is you cannot escape yourself by using an alias.
