How do you escape a criminal record?

Question

I know there is no real way to escape a criminal record, but is there anyway to downplay it? My husband is looking for a job in computers. Unfortunately he has a felony on his record from when he was 17! That was a long time ago but it is still on his record. He has been turned down by three places on account of his record. Is there anything that can be done or is one stupid drunken mistake five years ago something that will doom him to total sh!t jobs for the rest of his life?

We looked into expunging the felony. Unfortunately we can't have it expunged due to the nature of the conviction and the severity of the sentence.

To further complicate things he has a very serious heart condition (aeortic stenosis for any who care) that prevents him from physical /hard labor such as production or stocking. He wouldn't mind it but if he were to apply he would fail the physical. Man this sucks.

I have to keep telling myself the old sayings about sh!t like this.

Its get darkest just before down.
Everyone hits rough patches. It makes the smooth ones feel so much better.

*sigh* I wish they were working.

Answer 1

your husband should talk to potential employers before they look at his criminal record and explain to them exactly what the felony is and how although it was a stupid mistake, he was young and naive and didn't know any better and he is now much more mature and ready to handle an important job. most employers will admire the fact that he is being upfront and honest with them. he should definitely not try to hide the fact that he has a criminal record because this will cause potential employers to view him as dishonest. good luck!

Answer 2

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Answer 3

He may be stuck with a lousy job until he reaches an age where his record CAN be expunged. You have to be honest when applying though because jobs that do not disqualify you for a felony right off the bat will fire you if you get caught lying, and the felony comes up on his background check.

Have him talk to his probation officer or parole officer even if he is no longer on probation/parole; PO's often have connections in companies that don't mind hiring former felons.

But keep in mind-- depending on the nature of his crime, yes, he may be doomed to having total sh!t jobs. No offense but he should have thought of that before doing the crime...

Answer 4

I'm an HR Rep and this question comes up to often in my realm of work. Now I'm assuming your husband is in his 20s since he was charged at the age of 17. Usually employers run a background check dating back 10 years. If it is a high security clearance position your husband is applying for then they usually go back 15-25 years for background.

Sad to say but there is nothing you can do to escape a criminal record. Since you did attempt to get the case cleared off of his record and it was declined due to the severity of it it does not look good.

I highly suggest your husband downplay his expectations on getting a "good" job.

Answer 5

Criminal Records Search Database : http://www.InfoSearchDetective.com/Support

Answer 6

Girl I'm sorry to say but he is going to always struggle with this. Most of the time people under the same circumstances as him end up working in wherehouse type positions, and it just isn't fair!!! My only advice would be for him to keep trying or even target companies that he has heard are not very strict with their employment screening!!!

Answer 7

If you know someone in your local Sheriff's department they can ask for an expungement. I'm not sure if you can expunge a felony though. May be only misdemeanors.

Answer 8

contact your local county's clerk of courts, or a lawyer, and ask if your husband's crime can be expunged. if yes, he would have to petition the court for expungement. not all convictions can be expunged, but if they really did occur when your husband was 17, there might be a decent chance.