Consequences of a Criminal Conviction

Getting convicted of a crime can really mess up your life. There’s the obvious stuff like going to jail or prison, paying fines, and getting a criminal record. But there’s also a ton of other consequences that most people don’t realize. These “collateral consequences” can make it really hard to get your life back on track after a conviction.

Losing Your Rights and Privileges

One big category of collateral consequences is losing your rights and privileges as a citizen. For example, in most states, felons lose their right to vote, at least for awhile. They also can’t own guns, serve on juries, or hold public office. Immigrants can get deported if convicted of certain crimes. That’s a huge deal – getting kicked out of the country you live in. Other collateral consequences include:

• Loss of professional licenses and certifications
• Loss of government benefits like public housing and food stamps
• Loss of federal student aid
• Loss of military service opportunities
• Loss of parental rights
• Loss of drivers license

Losing your drivers license is rough if you need to drive to work. And good luck finding a decent job without a college degree these days. See how getting convicted starts this downward spiral where you keep losing more and more opportunities? It’s like getting stuck in quicksand.

Finding Housing

Another big hurdle for convicted felons is finding housing. If you’ve got a drug conviction, you can be banned from public housing. Private landlords often won’t rent to you either once they do a background check. That’s if you can even afford rent with limited job prospects. So it’s no wonder that so many ex-cons end up homeless. Living on the streets sure makes it harder to put your life back together. A criminal record can also stop you from staying with family in public housing. So much for getting help from loved ones.

Employment Problems

Getting a job with a record is straight up hard. Most employers do criminal background checks these days. Studies show having a criminal record cuts your callback chances by 50% or more. The more serious the crime, the worse your chances. But even minor drug convictions can disqualify you from tons of jobs.

Ever try checking “the box” saying you have a record on a job application? Forget about it – your resume goes straight in the trash. Lying about your record is risky too. Best case, you get fired if they find out later. Worst case, you get charged with fraud.

There are over 27,000 legal restrictions limiting what jobs people with records can hold. We’re talking about good careers like nurse, teacher, even hair dresser or plumber. Pretty messed up when someone’s trying to work hard and get back on their feet. A criminal record makes it way harder to build financial security or stay out of poverty.

Stigma and Bias

There’s also the social stigma of having a record. People look at you different, like you’re some kind of hardcore criminal not to be trusted. Your own family can judge you for screwing up. Makes it tough to rebuild relationships.

And there’s straight up discrimination against ex-cons. Landlords won’t rent to you. Employers won’t hire you. Nobody wants to date someone with a record. The stigma follows you around for life, long after you’ve served your time. The public records of your conviction live on the internet forever too.

Paying Your Debt

I get it – people who commit crimes should pay their debt to society. But shouldn’t there be a point where the punishment ends? With all the collateral consequences, it seems like the debt never gets paid. And it disproportionately falls on poor minorities and people struggling with mental illness or addiction.

Maybe we should only take away rights that relate to the crime, and only for a certain period of time. Otherwise, how’s someone supposed to turn their life around? Politicians need to reform these laws so people have a real second chance. Otherwise we just get more poverty and recidivism.

Anyways, that’s my take on it as an average Joe. Let me know if you have any other thoughts on the unfair consequences of getting convicted. I’m always down for a friendly debate on these important issues. There’s gotta be a better way that makes our communities safer and stronger.