State prosecutors often try to bring the most serious charges they can against an individual who is suspected of criminal wrongdoing. Someone with no prior criminal record expecting to face a minor misdemeanor charge may feel shocked when they realize that the prosecutor wants to pursue a felony charge.
Many people accused of a felony panic and rush to negotiate a plea arrangement. They think that they can avoid long-term consequences by cooperating with the state. For example, the prosecutor might agree to reduce the charge from a felony to a misdemeanor. Unfortunately, background checks might still turn up the felony offense, leading to other parties assuming someone is guilty of a felony. Other times, a guilty plea does not result in a lesser charge.
How can a felony on someone’s record affect their opportunities?
Career development can become a challenge
Decades ago, only jobs that involved public trust typically required background checks. That has changed drastically. It is now common practice for employers in a variety of different sectors to conduct background checks before extending a job offer to an applicant or making a decision about who to promote. A felony offense is a major blemish in someone’s background that can hold them back from developing their career. In many cases, felony convictions prevent people from securing well-paid jobs with advancement opportunities.
Housing is harder to arrange
Employers aren’t the only parties that consistently perform background checks. It has become common practice for landlords to check someone’s criminal background in addition to the credit and rental history. Many landlords have policies against felony convictions. They may rent to people with misdemeanors on their record but not to those with prior felony convictions. People may find themselves struggling to secure a rental home outside of a roommate scenario that may not involve a background check. Some mortgage lenders do perform background checks and may not issue loans to those with serious criminal records.
Education is harder to navigate as well
Criminal records can affect educational opportunities in several ways. The first is by turning up when colleges and universities perform background checks. The second is by cutting someone off from financial aid. Depending on the charges, a felony can affect eligibility for federal financial aid. It can also decrease someone’s chances of securing private scholarships.
As a closing note, many people worry that a criminal record might affect their credit score. Convictions can impact creditworthiness by reducing employment opportunities and leaving people in high-cost housing situations. However, credit reporting bureaus typically do not report criminal convictions. The few exceptions that exist relate to financial crimes, such as the history of issuing fraudulent checks.
For many people, the long-term consequences of a felony conviction are more serious than the penalties the courts might impose. Fighting pending criminal charges could help someone minimize the long-term impact a charge has on their future.