What aspects of your life are affected when you are a felon?

Question

I'm trying to find out all the little things that are affected when you've been convicted of a felony. Only serious answers, please.

Answer 1

I served 10 years in the State Penitentiary, upon my release in 2002 I tried to obtain employment but all I ever heard was "your a convicted felon." After hearing this numerous times I just quit trying and started drinking, then I met a very wonderful woman whom I shared my life with and she gave me a whole new look on life and loved me for who I was, not where I had been. She has been the most positive thing in my life and she has never stopped believing in me, even when I didn't believe in myself. She has given so much of herself and has taught me so much. Thanks to her I now have a drivers license (was only 18 when I entered the system) and a good paying job. Employment isn't the only thing that's affected by your criminal record but to me it is the most important because without a job and money what are you suppose to do? Most would probally turn to breaking the law once more and whom are you to blame? Society because no one will open doors and give you a chance, a chance to prove that you are a changed person. Not only do I have to live with my mistakes but I continuously have to be remined as well. Life for an ex-con is not easy and I was lucky enough to meet someone whom I can share my pain and hurt with, she has truly been a blessing in my life and I know with her by my side I'll surely overcome any obstacle that I may have to face because of where I was.

Answer 2

Why is it that most of the comments come back to the victim. Not all felony convictions have a victim. You can't bunch everyone together. Today a felony conviction can be thrown on anyone very easily. You don't have to have a victim to have a felony. Not all felons are out there looking for victims. Get a grip. The system wants people to learn a trade and start a positive life following a conviction so they will stay out of trouble but they also want the world to keep you down and remind you of the mistake that you may have made when you were a teenager. They want you to make a good life without a job.

Answer 3

You lose the right to vote, own a gun, hold public office, cannot obtain liquor licensing and if the crime involves children or a sexual offense, you will be required to register as a sex offender and are prohibited from working with children. You can also lose any professional certifications ( if you were a doctor, nurse, lawyer, etc) whether the crime involved your job or not. Parental rights can be terminated, deportation, cannot work for any public agencies ( Electric company, water, etc) and the list can go on and on.

Employment is difficult, next to impossible for most convicted felons. Pretty much all companies ask for a criminal history and felons find that most companies will not hire them.

Essentially this is called the "collateral consequences" of a felony conviction and the consequences can extend far beyond what is listed here.

Answer 4

It depends on what kind of felony it was. If you stay out of trouble after the felony, you can still lead a good life. There may be certain jobs you cannot get, but there are still lots of other good ones you can get. If you have the income and credit you can still get loans and mortgages and apartments. I know of a few people who have very nice lives who are felons. It all depends on what the felon does afterwards in his life.

Answer 5

Felons whine a lot about how what they did "affects them for the rest of their lives" while totally disregarding that the victims of felons are usually affected for the rest of their lives.

edit - the reason comments go back to the victim is that the victims are usually forgotten. People worry themselves sick over the "rights" of the criminals while completely disregarding that the criminal at one point had a choice - and then they CHOSE to break the law.

Answer 6

"A state or federal felony conviction today can lead to jail time, probation, fines, restitution, community service, mandatory drug or other rehabilitative treatment, and forfeiture of various legal rights (including the right to vote, serve on a jury, hold government positions, bear arms, and serve in the Armed Forces)."

--- Quoted from the website: http://www.onlinelawyersource.com/criminal_law/felony/conviction.html

Answer 7

It varies from state to state and also what the final judgement says. Also depends on the charge you were found guilty of. Voting, not voting, registering as an offender, jobs you can hold, licenses, etc. It varies on a whole bunch of things. Basically, it can affect every aspect of your life.

Answer 8

Mainly the most would be getting a good job because most of the companies out here today are doing a background check and most of them don't care how long ago the charge has been, if it says arrest record, you won't get the job.

Answer 9

Affect you? Only that which you focus on.

I am a convicted felon too. 14 years ago I really screwed up and will NEVER make another stupid mistake as long as I live. So here is what I did. Pay close attention......

AT THE BEGINNING....right after my parole......

1. I got a morning job throwing/delivering newspapers. From 2:30 am - 5:30 am, I threw newspapers for $230.00 a week.

2. During the morning/afternoons of Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, I waited tables at a small, local resturant. With tips, I pulled in about $175.00 per week maximum. Sometimes, I had to help wash dishes. I was glad to do it fora few extra hours.

3. On Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays I worked for a local pizza place for $8.00/hour. I worked 3-8 hour shifts per week. That paid me about another $150.00.

On Sunday (aside from delivering papers in the early morning), I rested. But let me assure you....I knew how lucky I was (as a convicted felon) to be making nearly $500 a week. SO I WORKED VERY VERY VERY VERY HARD to make sure that no one disliked me or had any reason to think that I wasn't earning my money. I WORKED MY REAR END OFF with a big smile. I said "please" and "thank you" about 10 trillion times a day.

So in a given week, I was earning approx. $500 every week. None of those jobs required a background check.

I worked these jobs (listed above) for about a year.

AFTER ONE YEAR.....

In no time, I acquired another small paper route and my pay (delivering papers) went from $230 to $300 per week.

Then, I quit my job waiting tables to become a full-time employee at the pizza place. They raised me to $9.00/hour after one year. That paid me about $300.00 after taxes.

So after the first year, I was early about $600 a week. Not bad! Here I am.....one year out of jail....earning $600.00 a week.


AFTER TWO YEARS.....

I kept delivering newspapers and acquired a smaller third route. I hired a teenager and paid him $100 a week to deliver the smallest route. I earned a $125 profit from his route while I still earned $300 from my two existing routes. That means, delivering newspapers alone I earned $425/week. I was earning $425 per week before the sun rose in the morning. I still had the whole rest of the day to earn another paycheck!!!!

After two years on the job and EARNING the reputation as an extremely hard worker, the owner of the pizza place offered me the chance to become the manager. The job paid $450.00 per week and I had to work 50 hours a week.

At the end of the third year, I was earning nearly $1,000 a week (that's $52,000!!!!! per year).

ONCE FIVE YEARS PASSED....

Texas law permits a convicted felon (who has not been in ANY trouble since the conviction) the right to vote and purchase a firearm.

Today (15 years later), I am:

A. TOTALLY financially independent (earning almost $1,400 a week) and placing a minimum of $300 a week in the bank for my retirement. That translates to a savings of $14,000 a year in the bank every single year before interest even begin stacking on top of it. Most people without convictions complain that 'they can't get ahead in this world.' I tend to mumble to myself..."Oh yeah? Try making it with a prison record."

B. A registered voter. I am proud to stand in line on voting day.

C. An elder in my local church. I have the respect of my family, friends, community and congregation.

D. Allowed to lawfully own a firearm (which remains in my home).

And not ONCE.....NOT ONCE.....has my conviction slowed me down.

Can you do it? Absolutely.

Find simple jobs that don't require background checks and worked them HARD. You may need more than one job at first. But after you build a GREAT reputation, they will promote you from within. That way, no one ever needs to know about your conviction and you can even pretend that your felony conviction never happend.

DO IT. MAKE IT HAPPEN.

Remember a very important phrase. To this day, I have a small laminated business card that sits in my wallet. The phrase is....

IF YOU WORK HARD ON YOURSELF, LIFE WILL BE EASIER FOR YOU. HOWEVER, IF YOU ARE EASY ON YOURSELF, LIFE WILL BE CONSIDERABLY HARD ON YOU.

Sincerely,

Dave
A very happy and successful former convict

Answer 10

all of them people wont let the past be the past and they love to throw it up in your face oh i forgot this is america wich makes it ok and yes i am a convicted felon