A criminal record can affect life style in a bad way. There is really nothing good to say about having a criminal record. If you are a young person you really ought to think about the long term consequences before breaking the law. The is especially true in light of the fact that lawmakers are really cracking down on lawbreakers. Even first time offenders are not getting the breaks that they used to.

Many of the rights you have under the United States Constitution can be abridged once you have been found guilty of a felony. In many states those who have been convicted of a felony can not vote in elections. Your ability to participate in our democracy will be blocked. This may not seem like a big deal now but later on in life you may regret not being able to exercise your right to vote.

If you are on probation you may have difficulty living where you want to. The terms of your probation may prevent from moving to a different state. This can limit your employment possibilities. It will be more difficult to find a better environment.

You will not be able to exercise your second amendment right to own a firearm because many jurisdictions do not allow felons to own a gun. This would really impact the way you like to live your life if you enjoy hunting or target practice. It might seem unfair that even your ability to hunt will be blocked, but with all the gun violence in our society lawmakers are trying to protect its citizens.

Getting a job can be a real problem if you have been convicted of a felony. Technically, employers are not supposed to be prejudiced against ex-convicts. However, the reality is that many employers will not hire ex-convicts and make some convenient excuse for doing so. They will never come right out and say they are not hiring you because you are a ex-convict. They only jobs you will be able to get are low paying menial jobs and you may even have trouble getting those jobs.

With the internet it is really easy to do a background check on someone. A convicted felon may have trouble finding somebody to date. Must people do not want to go out with a somebody who has spent time in jail for committing a crime. Your choices for dating and socializing will be really limited because of your history.

If you find yourself in the position where your background in crime and the justice system is negatively influencing the way you want to live your life you might want to consider seeing an attorney for some possible solutions. You might be able to petition the governor of your state for a pardon. If you only had one criminal offense there may be a first time offenders program that may expunge your record.

There is no way around it. A criminal record will limit your options in life. For this reason, you should think twice about breaking the law. It is just not worth it. If you find yourself in this uncomfortable position seek legal advice for possible solutions.

Author Bio: Pardons services specializes in assisting any person with criminal records to obtain the Canadian Pardon and the U.S. Entry Restriction Waivers.

Category: Legal
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