What Are the Long-Term Consequences of a Drug Manufacturing Conviction?

The Long-Term Consequences of a Drug Manufacturing Conviction

Getting convicted of drug manufacturing can completely change your life. The consequences often last for years or even decades after your release from jail or prison. While every case is different, there are some common long-term effects to be aware of.

Criminal Record

A criminal conviction for drug manufacturing will show up on background checks forever. This can make it much harder to get a job, rent an apartment, get approved for loans and credit cards, obtain professional licenses, and more. Many employers and landlords will automatically reject applicants with a felony drug conviction.

Your criminal record follows you. Even if you move to a new city or state, that conviction still appears on background checks. There’s no escaping it.

Loss of Civil Rights

In some states, people with felony convictions lose certain civil rights and privileges. This can include:

• Right to vote
• Right to hold public office
• Right to serve on a jury
• Right to possess a firearm

Some states impose these restrictions temporarily, like while you’re on probation. Other states make them permanent. Check your state laws to see what civil disabilities apply.

Employment Difficulties

As mentioned, having a drug manufacturing conviction makes getting a job extremely hard. Many employers won’t hire people with felonies, especially drug offenses. Your options become very limited.

Even if you do get hired somewhere, a criminal record can prevent you from getting promotions or pay raises down the road. There’s a stigma that’s hard to overcome.

Loss of Professional Licenses

If your career requires a professional license, certificate, or clearance, a drug conviction can cause you to lose it. This applies to many jobs like:

• Nurse
• Doctor
• Teacher
• Security guard
• Government employee
• Contractor

Regulatory agencies and licensing boards often revoke or suspend licenses for drug offenses. This can totally derail your career plans and force you to start over in a new field.

Difficulty Finding Housing

Landlords frequently turn down applicants with criminal records, especially drug felonies. Your options for renting apartments or houses become very scarce. This forces many people into unstable living situations or even homelessness.

If you already own a home, some homeowners insurance policies exclude coverage for owners with felony convictions. And if you’re trying to buy a house, it’s nearly impossible to qualify for a mortgage with a drug felony.

Higher Insurance Rates

Insurance companies view people with criminal records as higher risk. This results in much higher premiums for car, life, home, and other types of insurance. The increased rates can last for many years.

Difficulty Traveling

A drug conviction can cause problems when traveling internationally. Many countries deny entry to people with criminal records. Even Canada and Mexico may prevent you from visiting.

And if you already have a passport, the State Department can revoke it after a drug felony. This restricts your ability to travel abroad.

Student Loan Limitations

If you want to go back to school after a drug conviction, you’ll find it much harder to get student loans and grants. Under the Higher Education Act, drug offenses make you ineligible for federal financial aid for set periods of time:

• 1 year for first offense
• 2 years for second offense
• Indefinite for third offense

Private student loans often deny applicants with criminal records too. So paying for college becomes very difficult.

Family Difficulties

The collateral consequences of a drug conviction also impact family members. For example, if you live in public housing, your entire family could be evicted after your arrest. Drug offenses also make it harder for family members to qualify for public assistance.

The stigma of having an incarcerated loved one also takes a psychological toll on spouses, children, parents, and others. There is often shame, anxiety, sadness, and anger. Family relationships become strained.

Bars From Receiving Public Assistance

Many government benefit programs deny assistance to people with felony drug convictions. These can include:

• Food stamps
• Medicaid
• Public housing
• Cash assistance

Losing this critical safety net makes recovering from incarceration even harder. It also punishes innocent family members.

Difficulty Finding Drug Treatment

Ironically, a drug conviction can make it harder to get into rehab programs and other treatment. Even though you clearly need help recovering, many facilities automatically reject applicants with criminal records.

For those that don’t, the cost may be prohibitive without insurance coverage. And getting health insurance with a felony is very difficult and expensive.

Bars From Adopting or Fostering

If you want to adopt a child or become a foster parent, forget it. Adoption and foster agencies almost never accept people with felony drug convictions. Your hopes of growing your family are dashed.

Loss of Custody

An arrest or conviction for drug manufacturing may cause you to lose custody of your children. Family courts view drug activity as child endangerment. Even if you are a loving parent, your kids could wind up in foster care.

Higher Interest Rates

Lenders consider people with criminal records to be high risk borrowers. This means much higher interest rates on credit cards, auto loans, and other financing. Your purchasing power becomes constrained.

Difficulty Finding References

Many housing, job, and school applications require personal references. But finding people willing to vouch for you after a drug conviction is tough. Friends and family may distance themselves or refuse to get involved.

Bars From Volunteering

To help rebuild your life after incarceration, you may want to volunteer in your community. But organizations like schools, churches, and hospitals often reject volunteers with criminal records to reduce liability.

Psychological Impact

The shame, stigma, and trauma of incarceration has deep psychological effects. Many formerly incarcerated people suffer from depression, anxiety, PTSD, and thoughts of suicide. Mental health treatment is hard to find and afford.

The emotional scars and loss of self-esteem can last a lifetime. The ongoing stress also takes a physical toll on your health.

Higher Health Insurance Costs

Insurers charge people with criminal records much higher premiums for individual health insurance plans. This is due to the perceived risk. Pre-existing conditions may also be excluded from coverage.

Exclusion From Government Programs

In addition to public housing and assistance programs, a drug conviction can make you ineligible for other government benefits, such as:

• Federal educational grants
• Small business loans
• Federal retirement benefits

So avenues for improving your life and financial security are cut off.

Employment Discrimination

Even when employers are willing to hire people with records, former inmates still face discrimination. They often get stuck in low-wage, dead-end jobs with little room for growth.

Research shows that applicants with criminal records are 50% less likely to get an interview callback or job offer. And this discrimination disproportionately impacts minorities.

Disenfranchisement

Many states ban people with felony convictions from voting, sometimes permanently. This disenfranchisement undermines democracy and civic participation. It also concentrates political power in the hands of the wealthy.

Cycle of Poverty

Taken together, all these consequences create a vicious cycle of poverty. People get released from prison with no money, no job, no home, no healthcare, and no transportation. The deck is heavily stacked against them.

Facing so many obstacles and closed doors, many formerly incarcerated people become demoralized and give up hope. Some even become homeless. It’s an uphill battle to get back on your feet.

Increased Recidivism

Given the many barriers to reentering society and rebuilding a stable life, it’s no surprise that recidivism rates are so high. Over 75% of former inmates get rearrested within 5 years. The system seems designed to keep people trapped.

Without resources or options, many return to illegal activity just to survive. The collateral consequences of a conviction essentially force people back into crime.

Long-Term Financial Hardship

Between legal fines, court fees, incarceration costs, and diminished earnings, a felony conviction causes long-lasting financial stress. You emerge from prison saddled with massive debt.

With employment discrimination, professional barriers, and educational obstacles, it becomes very difficult to get back on your feet financially. Poverty can persist for decades.

Permanent Loss of Opportunities

For young people especially, a felony drug conviction can permanently alter the trajectory of your life. What could have been is lost forever.

Dreams of careers in law, medicine, engineering, teaching, government, the military, and other fields are dashed. Your potential will never be fulfilled.

Strained Personal Relationships

The stigma, instability, and personality changes caused by incarceration often damage personal relationships. Marriages end in divorce at very high rates.

Friends and family members may lose trust and pull away. Some cut ties completely. You may find yourself very alone after getting out of prison.

Higher Risk of Homelessness

Without money, employment, or housing opportunities, many formerly incarcerated people wind up homeless. Between 8-13% live on the streets after release. Veterans are at even greater risk.

Homelessness makes recovering from drug addiction and reintegrating nearly impossible. It also destroys your physical and mental health.

Sources

Drug Policy Alliance: Collateral Consequences

Prison Policy Initiative: Out of Prison & Out of Work

ACLU: Collateral Consequences

National Reentry Resource Center: Reentry Facts & Trends

Prison Fellowship: Collateral Consequences of Felony Conviction

National Institute of Justice: Five Things About Collateral Consequences