When a debt has been paid it is canceled and there is no longer anything left to pay.  But for those convicted of crimes in America, the debt is never canceled.  Although the convicted felon may serve his full sentence as prescribed by law, he is forever known as a "convict", a reality that has ramifications for everything from employment to housing.  Author Jason Karch discusses this reality and the implications that an understanding of Atonement in Christian doctrine brings to bear on the issue.