so my friend is a felon..

[dsity]

of his life this will follow him around. He explained to me that it will be extremely diffcult for him to get a good job. He will have to try x10 to get a job and x10 to keep his job and show his employers he is dependable and not a liablity. He said most felons who are not able to find jobs (some due to lack of effort, many due to employer) resort back to their old Criminal ways....basically a system set to fail.

but this is what gets me the most.

he is officially an ex felon. He carried out his punishment (It was a $4000 fine Class A misdemeaner type punishment)

so his punishment wasn't so severe, he's a free man, yet not so free. His mistake that he already paid for is following him. Most employers won't give him a second look. All they see is "hey, he's a ex felon". this guy wants a life, wants a decent job, wants to support his family (in the future), but yet he can't. he paid his dues, but he is still looked down upon.

personally I trust this man with my own life. People do make mistakes, but what really matters is what you learn and how you go about after those mistakes that counts.


i guess when something doesn't affect you you don't realize how messed up things really are.

any ATOT members with felony records or similar experience care to share some advice? even those without

 

[her209]

The difference between white collar and blue collar crimes...?

 

[KK]

felon for what?

 

[compnovice]

See it this way, If you were an employer would you like to hire an ex-felon you didn't know?

A lot would depend on what he was convicted for. Some employers might be able to look past minor crimes. But yes, he would have to try very hard. Not even 'regular' people have it easy these days..

 

[ohmide]

Yeah what did he do?

 

[MovingTarget]

I know people who are in just that position. A company sees on a resume/application or some background check that pops up on a computer screen that person X has had a felony. It doesn't say what, just that it was. Said person is then categorically denied any shot at employment without so much as an interview. I've seen felons go back to get degrees in other fields after serving their sentences to turn their lives around, only to see them not be able to get gainfully employed because of those HR practices. What was once a mistake made over a decade ago in some cases that lists as a felony will screw with them for the rest of their lives. They may as well have killed 10 people, no matter how minor their offence was. This I take offence to. Once you have paid your dues to society, they should no longer be able to hold that against you. Period. If you cannot or have not truly been rehabilitated or paid an equivalent price, then you shouldn't be released. Once you have, then you should. This should be determined at parole hearings and in sentencing. The system we have encourages more crime. If an ex felon cannot get a job, where does he turn to keep clothes on his back and food in his mouth? He has to get it one way or another. You do the math.

 

[BoomerD]

First, some clarification...you say felony, then you say Class A misdemeanor. They are considerably different.

From personal experience, having a felony conviction doesn't hold you back unless you let it. Sure, you may not be able to work in certain jobs, but that's part of the repercussions from the choices made. I went into construction, where with only a couple of exceptions, (can't work in highly secure locations, like Livermore Labs) having a felony record hasn't been any consideration.

Tell your friend not to despair...if he wants to "rehabilitate" himself, it can be done.
Many states prohibit the discrimination based on felony convictions, UNLESS it specifically applies to the job.
For example, if you were convicted for bank robbery, you might not want to waste your time applying to be a bank teller...

http://www.lac.org/toolkits/st...ourteen_State_Laws.pdf

Looking at that list, it doesn't look like Texas is one of those states. If he's permitted, he might want to consider moving to a more liberal state where the felony won't be an automatic bar to employment.

 

[dsity]

Originally posted by: MovingTarget
I know people who are in just that position. A company sees on a resume/application or some background check that pops up on a computer screen that person X has had a felony. It doesn't say what, just that it was. Said person is then categorically denied any shot at employment without so much as an interview. I've seen felons go back to get degrees in other fields after serving their sentences to turn their lives around, only to see them not be able to get gainfully employed because of those HR practices. What was once a mistake made over a decade ago in some cases that lists as a felony will screw with them for the rest of their lives. They may as well have killed 10 people, no matter how minor their offence was. This I take offence to. Once you have paid your dues to society, they should no longer be able to hold that against you. Period. If you cannot or have not truly been rehabilitated or paid an equivalent price, then you shouldn't be released. Once you have, then you should. This should be determined at parole hearings and in sentencing. The system we have encourages more crime. If an ex felon cannot get a job, where does he turn to keep clothes on his back and food in his mouth? He has to get it one way or another. You do the math.

Amen. I wish there was something we could do to change this. It's frustrating.

detail on his felon ways will come if he doesn't mind me going into a little more detail

 

[DangerAardvark]

Originally posted by: dsity

Originally posted by: MovingTarget
I know people who are in just that position. A company sees on a resume/application or some background check that pops up on a computer screen that person X has had a felony. It doesn't say what, just that it was. Said person is then categorically denied any shot at employment without so much as an interview. I've seen felons go back to get degrees in other fields after serving their sentences to turn their lives around, only to see them not be able to get gainfully employed because of those HR practices. What was once a mistake made over a decade ago in some cases that lists as a felony will screw with them for the rest of their lives. They may as well have killed 10 people, no matter how minor their offence was. This I take offence to. Once you have paid your dues to society, they should no longer be able to hold that against you. Period. If you cannot or have not truly been rehabilitated or paid an equivalent price, then you shouldn't be released. Once you have, then you should. This should be determined at parole hearings and in sentencing. The system we have encourages more crime. If an ex felon cannot get a job, where does he turn to keep clothes on his back and food in his mouth? He has to get it one way or another. You do the math.

Amen. I wish there was something we could do to change this. It's frustrating.

detail on his felon ways will come if he doesn't mind me going into a little more detail

It was Bro Rape wasn't it?

 

[Nocturnal]

I've seen people get security clearance with a felony on their record. It isn't the end of the world. I promise you that.

 

[dsity]

Originally posted by: BoomerD
First, some clarification...you say felony, then you say Class A misdemeanor. They are considerably different.

From personal experience, having a felony conviction doesn't hold you back unless you let it. Sure, you may not be able to work in certain jobs, but that's part of the repercussions from the choices made. I went into construction, where with only a couple of exceptions, (can't work in highly secure locations, like Livermore Labs) having a felony record hasn't been any consideration.

Tell your friend not to despair...if he wants to "rehabilitate" himself, it can be done.
Many states prohibit the discrimination based on felony convictions, UNLESS it specifically applies to the job.
For example, if you were convicted for bank robbery, you might not want to waste your time applying to be a bank teller...

http://www.lac.org/toolkits/st...ourteen_State_Laws.pdf

Looking at that list, it doesn't look like Texas is one of those states. If he's permitted, he might want to consider moving to a more liberal state where the felony won't be an automatic bar to employment.

He commited a felony. Was convicted, but his punishment was Misdemeanor type A. which is a fine and no probation.
I hope that makes sense.

Nocturnal can you elaborate.

 

[Gilligansdingy]

Is this a trick to get us banned for being felons?

 

[tomywishbone]

It will only prevent him from getting a shit job. All the great jobs are still out there. Tell your friend to relax.:beer:

 

[dsity]

Anandtech bans felons?

 

[zinfamous]

Originally posted by: BoomerD
First, some clarification...you say felony, then you say Class A misdemeanor. They are considerably different.

what I was thinking. a felony isn't whiped away with a 4k fine.

He's going to have to work his ass off, convince people that he's legit.

other option is to get horribly mutated through some sort of tragic industrial accident, become supervillain while trying to mend his past mistakes and seek sympathetic support from his friends/movie-watching audience.

really, only two options for felons trying to reorder their lives....

 

[tcsenter]

If it was his first offense and he can keep out of trouble for at least eight years following the date he has finished all liability (such as probation), he can petition for expungement and/or restoration of rights.

Personally, I think we have 'felonized' too many offenses that have long been misdemeanors. Particularly non-violent, class D or lower felonies, expungement should be automatic after eight years, so long as you complete all liability and keep your nose clean.

90% of felons who recidivate are going to do so within two or three years. After five, the recidivism rate is extremely low. IIRC, the recidivism rate after five years is actually lower than the offense rate of the general population.

 

[moshquerade]

Originally posted by: ohmide
Yeah what did he do?

 

[Old Hippie]

If it was his first offense and he can keep out of trouble for at least eight years following the date he has finished all liability (such as probation), he can petition for expungement and/or restoration of rights.

Yep. I'm not sure how much it costs, but I had one buddy who did just that.

 

[Red Dawn]

Imagine how many people in charge of hiring would be ex Felons if they would have been caught.

 

[TheKub]

Originally posted by: MovingTarget
...If you cannot or have not truly been rehabilitated or paid an equivalent price, then you shouldn't be released...

I admire your enthusiasm, but if that were the case there would never be any repeat offenders and we would need correction facilities the size of a small state.

Fact at hand is that there is a stigma that once a felon always a felon. Makes it hard for the few that actually get their act together and try to make something of themselves.

 

[Colt45]

You can't start a thread like this and not tell us what he did.

 

[PingSpike]

The ruined reputation is part of the punishment for the crime I guess.

 

[warmodder]

It sucks, but there's an old cliche that fits here.

 

[Farang]

It isn't just felonies. My brother was offered a $45,000/year dream job at a company with lots of advancement possibilities. He was later told the offer was rescinded due to a DUI offense that was supposed to have been expelled from his record. That offense stemmed from him, at 17 years old, being found passed out drunk in his car in a parking lot with the engine running (it was winter and he had the heat turned on).

The situation is especially unfair because I think most people have committed felonies and simply got away with it. It is only by an amazing stroke of luck that I survived my teenage years without any criminal offenses showing up on my record, if employers had any idea what kind of stupid stuff I did they would not go near me. Yet people like your friend were unlucky enough to get caught and, as you say, will be paying the price for life.

 

[Saga]

Originally posted by: Red Dawn
Imagine how many people in charge of hiring would be ex Felons if they would have been caught.

It amuses me that I basically almost posted this twice while watching this thread, but often try to avoid interjecting complete negatives into threads that are trying to do some good.

However, this brief statement is absolutely true. Especially in this country with such extremely loose and selfish morals. I don't want to be silly and make up some statistics, but I'd be willing to bet good money that far more people than you could ever imagine are only not felons because they didn't get caught at one point or another.