The Burden of Having a Criminal Record
When a person has been convicted of crime or charged with one, serving jail or prison time for the unlawful act will often not be the only form of punishment. An individual with a criminal record faces many everyday life events that could be affected due to the criminal past. The following are some of the most common implications a person may face for having a criminal record:
- Citizenship Status
When an individual who is not a United States Citizen has a criminal conviction, he or she can face the following:
The repercussions of having a criminal record for a person who is not a U.S. Citizen will vary depending on the facts of the case.
- Employment
Having a criminal conviction can have a devastating impact on an individual’s employment opportunities. There are some charges and convictions that could completely exclude an individual from obtaining certain careers. For instance, school districts generally will not hire an individual who has been convicted of a sex offense to work or teach in the school system. Further, some regulatory agencies will refuse to license or give a permit to an individual who has a felony conviction. Many of these rules and regulations pertaining to employment will vary from region to region or from agency to agency. Regardless, a conviction can put a stop to many potential fruitful job opportunities.
Other more common examples include individuals who can only obtain jobs that offer minimum wages or salaries. Unfortunately, having a criminal conviction will not only limit a person’s ability to obtain a job, it could also limit a person’s ability to secure a decent income. This could even hold true for those with advanced training or school/education or degrees.
Those with a criminal history commonly need to disclose their background when applying for a job position. During an application process, employers will often pay to have a person’s criminal background checked. Not disclosing the conviction or charge can face an automatic denial for the job position if employers find the information provided to be false. Regrettably, however, many job seekers will face a job denial even if they have disclosed their criminal history.
- Public Disclosure
Individuals who have been charged or convicted of criminal offenses face a tarnished reputation. This is particularly true if the person has been charged with a felony conviction. A person who has been charged with a felony faces a depression on his or her legal rights. For instance, these individuals will not be able to serve on a jury; in many cases, have the opportunity to vote; and finally, have the ability to legally own a firearm.
Individuals who are convicted of a crime could face discomfort when being called to a jury summons and will have to disclose his or her inability to continue due to the conviction. Those who have been charged of a sexually related offense can face registering as a sex offender for the rest of his or her life. Many agencies will also post criminal arrests and convictions on the Internet as a way to expose the criminality. Those convicted or charged with a crime do not only face repercussions in the professional world, they could also face consequences in social atmospheres.
Almost anyone who is interested can discover a person’s criminal record. In today’s modern age, a conviction or arrest that was committed in a person’s early adolescence can easily be discoverable with a few online searches. This can make it difficult to even date or enter into a relationship with another person since it is highly common to investigate a person’s background prior to the initial first date.
Romantic relationships are not the only reason to be interested in discovering if a person has a criminal history. When seeking to enter into a business partnership, many business associates will also be interested in finding out if the person they seek to enter into business with has a criminal record. With the availability of personal data online, more and more people initiate online searches to better education themselves about the person in question.
The Bottom Line
Having a criminal record can have lifelong implications. Even those with an abundance of opportunities could face certain limitations when there are others interested in discovering their criminal history.
If you or someone you know has been charged or convicted of a criminal offence, there may be an opportunity to deter others from discovering the criminal record. By the completion of an expungement procedure, some defendants can conceal the charge from potential employers or other interested parties. While an expungement will not completely erase the conviction or charge from a person’s criminal record, it will help to place the charge or conviction aside in order to obtain employment or seek other opportunities.
It is worth mentioning that an expungement is not for everyone. There are many criminal convictions that cannot be expunged. If you or someone you know is interested in seeking to expunge a criminal record, speak to a qualified attorney who can guide you through the qualifications needed to expunge the record. Once it is determined that the record can be expunged, the attorney will be sure to process the petition in the appropriate time limitations. With the guidance and support of a professional attorney, the criminal record can have the best opportunity at successfully being expunged.
