Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Criminal Record

Life, art nudge ever so closer here.

"A single, specific memory has been wiped from the brains of rats, leaving other recollections intact."

It is doubtful that researchers will ever reach the degree of precision achieved by the characters in the film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, but, if they do, kudos. My memories are mine, exclusively mine, and I can treat them as would any property, including choosing to destroy them. Not that I would.

Read the whole thing, including a rather dubious comments section. My first, temporary reaction is mirrored in the second comment: "Such a drug would be very useful for criminals too. Imagine being able to wipe out memories from a witness or a victim..."

This is true, but to state the obvious: committing a crime is a criminal act. Not-remembering a crime is not a criminal act, and does not change the facts of the crime.