Life after imprisonment – should mean that the punishment is over. However, a criminal record still stays and haunts you. In practice, freedom for many former convicts means that they have no money – but also that there is no work for them. During the sentence, many of their friends forget them, they don’t even have a family. Although everything should be different – many are still wondering how does having a criminal record affects the future? We will try to provide you with some of the answers.
Crime And Punishment
Punishment is an integral part of human life and affects almost all areas of it. Parents punish their children, teachers punish students – and the state punishes offenders. It is so ingrained in human nature that without its presence it is impossible to imagine human relationships. In this sense, rewarding and punishing has always played a major role in regulating human relationships and behavior. Although not the only one, punishment is also an important social reality. It is common for all social communities to punish individuals who violate the established rules of that society. But what to do after you serve the punishment? Is there any future for these people, and what are they facing after the imprisonment? We’ll try to find out.
Rehabilitation Of Criminal Offenders
Rehabilitation seems to us to be the most favorable attitude towards offenders because it has many positive effects. Namely, it is useful for the offender because it helps him to stop his criminal behavior and become an accepted member of his community again. However, it is also good for society itself – because it directly affects the reduction of criminal behavior. Numerous studies show a high rate of recidivism among criminals – and it is therefore in society’s interest to reduce the number of criminal acts through rehabilitation. However, is such rehabilitation truly possible, how and under what conditions? This is still the subject of much research and the effects of rehabilitation are not entirely clear. After all, we must ask ourselves: Is society sufficiently rehabilitated to accept former convicts and help them begin building a new, brighter future?
Resocialization
Having a criminal record usually leads to job loss, if the convict had one – and also a disruption of family life. It certainly doesn’t contribute to rehabilitation and resocialization. Some researches in the United States show that most respondents intend to actively look for a job after being released from prison. They estimated that the obstacle in looking for a job could be that they will be labeled as ‘former convicts’ after their release from prison. According to the research, the state institutions with which the former offenders had negative experiences after their release from prison – are the police, the social security center, and the employment service.
How Does Having A Criminal Record Affect The Future?
The process of re-socialization of convicts is not carried out only in institutions where the sentence is served – but it is very important what kind of support and programs are available to convicts after their release in the so-called post-penal period. What are the most common problems that ex-convicts face – and how does the criminal record affect their future? Here are some of the things that represent the most common obstacles in the lives of former convicts.
Fines, Court Costs And Other Expenses
Many crimes and even misdemeanors involve the payment of fines, the amounts of which can sometimes be extremely high. Also, it is very common for the court to order you to pay court costs, and in cases where you have committed a crime against property, this may include confiscating it from you if you own it. Such sanctions are common throughout the United States, especially in Texas, where the amount sometimes reaches astronomical heights.
Difficult Employment Opportunities
After being released from prison or after receiving a conviction – you can expect certain difficulties in finding a job. First of all, all those who already had a job will most likely lose it if they are convicted of a crime. On the other hand, looking for a job with a formal conviction can be very difficult. Namely, most employers usually investigate job candidates. This includes searches to see if the candidate has a criminal record. Fortunately, according to RecordPurge.com – today you have the option to exclude or delete an offense from the records – which can greatly facilitate your job search. However, for something like that – you have to meet the appropriate conditions.
Losing Right To Have A Driving License
It very often happens that, depending on the crime or the offense committed – you lose the right to a driver’s license. However, this should be viewed separately in relation to, for example, the revocation of an administrative license or ALR. When it comes to licenses, you have to arm yourself with patience – because it requires going through a rather difficult administrative procedure in which you will have to pay additional costs.
Loss Of The Right To Possess A Weapon
According to the law in most federal states, including Texas – a former convict has no right to possess firearms, that is, pistols, hunting rifles, etc. The convict may acquire this right only after the expiration of five years from the completion of the sanctioning measure – which means imprisonment sentence or the suspended sentence or probation to which he was sentenced. Even then, you have to keep in mind that you will encounter obstacles in obtaining a permit, and when you manage to get it – you can only use it in your place of residence and nowhere else.
Limited Housing Options
Finding a place to live and a community to fit into is not easy after your prison sentence expires. In a large number of cases, former convicts are left without a tenancy agreement and have further difficulties in finding a place to live. This is mostly accompanied by non-acceptance by the community. This applies in particular to persons convicted of offenses involving drugs, sexual offenses, violence or a crime against children. This is justified in reality, but it still has a negative effect on persons whose offenses were not related to such or similar crimes.
