I was wanting opinions of the AG community to see if I share them and/or debate this topic. The question is, as a convicted felon of theft, serving no jail time and only restitution and 1 year probation due to high moral character and unlikely to re-offend, how am I to be a productive member of society. I ask this due to the fact I now have a college degree and even though all these factors point towards a reformed person or a one time bad judgement call, it's neigh impossible to find a job/career due to a felony. So again, how can I become a functioning, productive member of our society?
The sad fact is that you will find it very difficult. The system is just as broken over here in Britain. I have tons of friends who are some of the cleverest people I know that cannot find work, even as a menial worker. It really is a poor inditement of a society if rehabilitation is made so difficult.
So again, how can I become a functioning, productive member of our society?
After your conviction is over 7 years old you can petition a judge to expunge the charge from your record. Just tell the judge about how you've changed and that you would like to have your record expunged and your rights reinstated.
sorry to say it you will find it hard for the rest of your life now
Think before you act
You might try thinking before you post too. Sure, there are difficulties associated with convictions, however if one shows a genuine departure from the behaviors which got them in trouble most judges would be more than happy to expunge their record.
What did you do to get convicted of felony? I think that where I live, if you go to jail (I'm not saying you did or didn't), you can never vote in Illinois for the rest of ever [a long time].
Sounds to me like you already are a productive member of society. You just have to hope that someone trusts you enough to give you a job, until your record is expunged.
I'd love it if there were proper rehabilitation programs that guaranteed someone a job at the end of it, so they didn't have to reoffend. However, it's hard to give convicted felons a job when, although the general jobless would never do it, it's seen as 'criminals stealing our jobs' - which causes public backdraft.
It can and will haunt you forever, but if you really put the effort into it you will eventually find work and there is no reason why you can't be as succesful as anyone else. It will be harder, though.
I lost a good job because I was denied entry to and deported from Canada (of all places) due to a very old deferred conviction. I'd passed the background check at hire and done several years of good work for the company but they still let me go for something they couldn't even pull up. Apparently Canada is better with computers than the companies that build them.
To be completely fair they were very nice about the whole thing. Canada, not the company I was working for. They were jerks.
I was wanting opinions of the AG community to see if I share them and/or debate this topic.
Err...I won't say anything.
The question is, as a convicted felon of theft, serving no jail time and only restitution and 1 year probation due to high moral character and unlikely to re-offend
See, here's the thing. Regardless of your morality or sentence, theft that qualifies as a felony is pretty goddamn serious.
, how am I to be a productive member of society.
Sorry dude, I hate to say this but you won't, or even if you manage to do so it will be extremely difficult.
I ask this due to the fact I now have a college degree
Good for you.
and even though all these factors point towards a reformed person or a one time bad judgement call, it's neigh impossible to find a job/career due to a felony.
Yeah, well, I'm sorry but you should have thought before you acted.
So again, how can I become a functioning, productive member of our society?
Either don't[become a productive member of society], work your ass off, or go back in time and stop yourself from stealing the stuff.
I say this so harshly, because as I said before, theft deserving of a felony has to be pretty serious. It depends on what state you're in, but even so I'm pretty sure that most theft that could be classified as a "temporary lapse in judgment" thing falls under the misdemeanor category. Felonies are far more serious. Just be grateful that you didn't spend any time in prison. Anyway, here are the qualifications for a felony theft charge[in Delaware]. [quote]In Delaware, a person is guilty of theft when he or she takes, exercises control over or obtains property of another person intending to deprive that person of it or appropriate it. Generally the crime of theft amounts to a class A misdemeanor. However when the value of the property received, retained or disposed of is $ 1,500 or more, it is a class G felony. Likewise Where a victim is 62 years of age or older, or an "infirm adult" or a "disabled person" theft is a class G felony. However if the value of the property received, retained or disposed of is $ 1,500 or more, in which case it is a class F felony. If the value of the property received, retained or disposed of is more than $ 50,000 but less than $ 100,000, theft is a class E felony. Where the value of the property received, retained or disposed of is $ 100,000 or more, theft is a class C felony. Upon conviction, the sentencing judge shall require full restitution to the victim for any monetary losses suffered and shall consider the imposition of community service and/or an appropriate curfew for a minor.
Sad but true, stealing will practically shod you of any job you come across. Because they will automatically assume that you will steal from their company. Sorry. But you can still become a highly productive member of society, just be able to attempt to talk to the person reading your resume/possible future employer and explain the circumstances.
