The Hidden Costs of a Criminal Conviction
Having a criminal conviction on your record triggers hidden costs that weigh you down like a bad debt for years to come.
You can avoid these painful consequences with the help of an experienced criminal defense lawyer, but many people are reluctant to invest in a professional defense. It doesn’t matter if the offense seems minor or you believe your innocence should be obvious. As you weigh the price of legal defense, make sure you understand the full cost of a criminal conviction.
How Does a Conviction Affect Employment and Career Prospects?
Having a criminal conviction on your record can have disastrous effects on your current job and future employment opportunities. In some fields, a conviction will cause you to lose your professional license. But in every field, a conviction makes people reluctant to trust you, and no one wants to hire someone they cannot trust.
When you apply for a job, employers will run a background check, and your application is likely to get rejected immediately. The problems with employment tend to increase exponentially. When you’re out of work for an extended time because of the criminal case and the subsequent difficulty finding a job, then the time away from employment also makes you less desirable as a worker. You may find your future prospects are bleak, with limited options for low-paying work with no opportunity for advancement.
When a criminal defense lawyer is able to defeat the charges or negotiate an arrangement that keeps a conviction off your record, you may be able to maintain or even build your career instead. If you’ve been convicted but have completed probation, an attorney may be able to get your conviction expunged from the record to help increase your employment opportunities.
What is the Effect on Housing, Education, and Other Needs?
A conviction can make you ineligible for a wide variety of programs that provide assistance with housing, food, and tuition. In the competitive California housing market, a conviction on your record makes you much less appealing to landlords and lenders.
Most landlords automatically run background checks, and a criminal record can lead to an immediate denial. Even if the conviction does not completely disqualify you from obtaining the home you want or other benefits, if competition comes down to you and someone with a clean record, you’re likely to lose out.
If you want to go to college or trade school to get a better job, your conviction may disqualify you from receiving federal student loans. Convictions for some offenses will prevent you from being eligible for programs like CalFresh. In addition, a conviction can put your immigration status at risk even if you have lived and worked in California legally for years.
Can a Conviction Interfere with Custody and Visitation Rights?
A criminal conviction can be one of the most damaging pieces of evidence against you if you are trying to gain parental rights such as custody and visitation. Convictions for certain offenses, including domestic violence, create a presumption that it is in your child’s best interests to be kept away from you. A conviction for a drug offense or DUI can cause a family law judge to find that unsupervised time with you puts your child at risk. If you have children, you have a great incentive to protect your relationship with them by investing energy and resources in a vigorous defense to prevent a criminal conviction.
The Most Devastating Cost: Damage to Your Reputation
The most long-lasting harm from a criminal conviction is not easy to put into words. It involves the damage to your reputation. People look at you differently. They may feel that you are permanently inferior to them because you are a “criminal.”
People may be afraid of you or mistrust you. Even if they want to help you, they can be very condescending.
In many ways, you become a second-class citizen when you have a criminal conviction on your record. Depending on the conviction, you may lose many basic rights such as the right to vote or own a gun.
Anyone can learn about your conviction with a simple online search. If you volunteer to help with your child’s school, an episode you thought you’d put behind you may suddenly make you the center of unwelcome gossip.
FAQs About the Consequences of a Criminal Conviction
How does a diversion program avoid a conviction?
A skilled attorney can advocate that a case be diverted out of court and postponed so that you can complete specific requirements such as classes or community service. After you’ve satisfactorily fulfilled the requirements, your case will be dismissed with no conviction on your record.
What would I have to do in a diversion program?
Diversion program requirements are determined individually based on your case. The requirements may include community service, addiction treatment, training, or other tasks.
Do I need to worry about a conviction if I can just get it expunged from my record later?
Yes, it is still worthwhile to avoid a conviction because expungement is not automatic in all cases and it is not available in many situations. Moreover, you have to wait a certain amount of time before you can obtain an expungement, and you need to petition the court and present evidence and arguments to justify granting an expungement. It is more efficient to put in the effort at the beginning and work to avoid the conviction rather than hope you can clean up your record later. Moreover, a petition to seal your arrest is not available if your case results in a criminal conviction.
Berkowitz Law Works to Help You Avoid a Conviction
The hidden costs of a criminal conviction cause extensive hardship. But they are not inevitable. When you work with an experienced attorney to fight the charges, your legal advocate can work to obtain an outcome that avoids having a conviction on your record.
To find out the best options in your situation, contact Berkowitz Law today to schedule a confidential consultation. We know the courts in the Bay Area and understand the most effective strategies for success when you’ve been accused of a misdemeanor or felony.