How Does A Felony Conviction Affect The Rest Of Your Life?

The consequences of a felony conviction go beyond the statutory penalties such as jail time and fines. Upon conviction for a felony offense, your criminal record will remain on your file, affecting virtually everything you do for years or even a lifetime. 

Although no one wants a criminal record, the truth is that even a seemingly small arrest or conviction can balloon into something serious that can follow you for years to come. Luckily, several options exist that can have your criminal records expunged or sealed so you can start life afresh. 

Expunging Your Criminal Record

Depending on the severity of your charges, you may have your criminal expunged. Expungement of a conviction means that your record as a convicted felon will not appear on the public database during background checks. 

The initial step in expunging your criminal record is often determining whether your felony conviction qualifies for expungement. For example, if your sentence was for less severe offenses such as theft, drug charges, or if you were a minor during the commission of the crime, your conviction may be eligible for expungement.

However, higher-level types of crimes such as aggravated assault and sexual assault may be impossible to erase. Therefore, you may need to have a lawyer guide you on how to expunge a felony conviction from your record if you believe your conviction qualifies for expungement. It is crucial to understand that even after pursuing expungement, other legal issues, such as outstanding warrants, can complicate your situation, especially if you live in Florida. Conducting a thorough Florida warrant search can help identify any unresolved legal matters that could impact your ability to move forward and successfully reintegrate into society. Again, consulting a lawyer is best to navigate through these complexities.

Five Ways A Felony Conviction Record Can Affect Your Life

1. Difficulty Finding a Job

Having a record of a criminal conviction can highly jeopardize your chances of finding employment. Employers are within the right to do a background check on potential candidates before hiring them. Although it’s unlawful for employers to discriminate against applicants based on their criminal history, most employers will avoid hiring an individual with a felony conviction record. Additionally, an individual with a sex crime conviction may be barred by law from working in child institutions such as schools, foster homes, or amusement parks at any capacity.

2. Loss Of Professional And Employment Licenses

Although a felony conviction does not lead to an automatic loss of professional or employment licenses, the outcome depends on the type of offense you were convicted for and the statutory license restrictions that go along with it. For example, teachers, architects, physicians, private detectives, attorneys, judges, and contractors are just some professions with statutory guidelines that determine professional license revocation, suspension, and reinstatement. 

3. Loss Of Eligibility For Federal Assistance

Upon conviction for a felony offense, you may lose your eligibility for federal assistance. This means that you lose eligibility for food stamps and other forms of federal aid. 

If, as a student, you have been convicted of drug charges, you may lose your right to access college financial aid. In addition, depending on the policies of individual universities and colleges, conviction with certain felonies can also lead to being denied admission.

4. Difficulty Finding a Place to Stay

Like employers, landlords sometimes run background checks on individuals seeking rental housing. Depending on the severity and the number of convictions an individual may have, landlords can be wary of allowing convicted felons into their houses. In some states, convicted sex offenders are barred by law from living within a given distance from a school or a child institution.

5. Loss Of The Right To Bear Arms

The United States second amendment gives every US citizen the right to keep and bear arms. However, upon a conviction with a felony offense, you may lose your right to buy or possess firearms for life. But this does not happen in all states. For example, in states like Michigan, convicted felons may have their right to bear arms reinstated after meeting the set conditions.

The consequences of having a felony conviction in your record are far-reaching, often lasting a lifetime. Therefore, it is vital to work with a qualified attorney when facing felony charges to minimize the possibility of a conviction considering the consequences listed above

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