Many people being convicted of an offence are fine with it as long as they don’t have to serve any jail time. What they fail to realize is that a criminal conviction carries many consequences beyond simple prison time. For example, not being able to obtain a firearms license, and prohibition from practising certain professions are just a few of the intended consequences. In this blog post, we will discuss some of the other consequences that people with a criminal conviction on their record have to face on a regular basis.
- Finding a place to live
Finding a place to live with a criminal conviction on your record can be an issue. Property owners often ask a person about any prior convictions that they may have had on the rental application. They are known to be reluctant to rent a place out to an individual who may have a record or may be on the sexual offender registry. This makes sense since the landlord would want to protect their investment and they may have valid concerns regarding the safety of the other tenants residing on the same property. The presence of such a person will also make it difficult for them to rent other homes or apartments present in the immediate vicinity.
- Getting a job
Homelessness and unemployment usually are the unavoidable results of a criminal conviction. Here too, the consequences are obvious. Many studies indicate that employers are much less likely to hire a former offender without taking into regard whether the offender has been rehabilitated. Also, remember that the homelessness and desperation for cash which results from unemployment leads to a repeat offence.
- Damaged educational opportunities
A criminal conviction can jeopardize a person’s educational opportunities. Some community colleges and colleges may deny admission to you depending on the conviction. The main purpose of this is to maintain a secure environment on the college campuses. Generally, drug offences or violent offences create a great obstruction to college admissions. Another obstruction to your higher education could be that the government may deny people who have drug offences federal grants or various other forms of student aid. But, if you are seeking any form of higher education, remember never to give up. A few colleges may reject your application and in others, some aids may not be available, but this does not mean that every college will reject you. Other sources of financial aid may also still be available to you.
- The cycle of problems
The prejudice against convicted criminals tends to accumulate and results in a vicious cycle. An example of this would be a former offender in a rural area may be denied access to public transport. He/she may find work, but the boss may fire him because he missed too many days at work. What the boss may fail to realise is that he doesn’t have a car of his own and is dependent on other people to give him rides to his workplace. It is also not possible for him to purchase a car as banks don’t give out loans to unemployed individuals. However, convicted criminals have more things on their list than simply finding a job. The truth is that people judge and will probably not be as willing to lend a helping hand to a former offender as they would a single mother who has a clean record.
All of these scenarios have been presented not to discourage people but so that they try to improve their situation. There are many other factors which should be considered such as how much time the former offender has served and the conditions of the probation. This is why it is vital to consult an experienced criminal lawyer when facing criminal charges. A criminal lawyer can review the case and see if any form of relief is available from the courts to help clean up the former offender’s record.