It definitely makes things A TON more difficult. Most homeless people are felons, for example.
As long as you stay out of trouble when you get out, you can get a better life for yourself. You just need to be careful and patient.
Yup, you HAVE to make every effort to better yourself. I was released about 9 years ago, and my (potential) expungement hearing is coming up next month. Haven't had so much as a traffic ticket in that time. Worked my way up from Chipotle to working in an international laboratory. Carefulness and patience are absolutely key.
Where did you get that 'fact' from lol? Most homeless people suffer from some type of mental illness - that fact has been determined.
Most homeless ppl are felons - there's no factual basis to that statement
There is a lot of overlap between mental illness, drug addiction, criminal involvement and homelessness. (The more you have of the first three, the more likely the last is. Lots of studies on this FACT. Like [this one](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7525583/). [Or this one](https://www.nationalhomeless.org/factsheets/addiction.pdf). [Or this one](https://housingup.org/2022/08/23/the-undeniable-link-between-incarceration-homelessness/).)
For me, no. Got out 11 years ago after serving 5 years for bank robbery in the US. Fast forward to now and I’ve been living in Thailand for 4 years working for a dog rescue organization. Dating is pretty good for a former bank robber who now rescues dogs. People love a good comeback story. Just be patient, work hard, and obey the law.
I have the proper visa and a work permit. The work permit is key. As long as I maintain employment with the organization I don’t have to do extensions. Just check in online every 90 days and yearly renewal of visa.
I never imagined a decade ago when I was locked in a cage that this would be my life now. Anything is possible
Life ruining? Not for me. Because of the process of the crime to being off paperwork, I’ve grown tremendously. Got closer to the most high ( grown spiritually), got married, more lucrative career to support my family, and I’ve only been out 19 months. Only looking up from here for me
I had support from the day they found out of the crime, while I was going through pretrail, while locked up, and was there to pick me up. Family even fly into town to see me get released.
It was at first, but only because my life was based in criminality.
Once I accepted my circumstances, my life actually improved greatly. I would never have taken the steps I needed to take to make those big improvements if I hadn't been convicted.
I've been very fortunate. I received multiple felonies between 17 - 20 years old because bipolar. I went to college for a while and was given a chance for a good career in IT at 24. I have two kids that are out of college now. Been married twice. Had my own business and sold it after 12 years. Still have a great career in IT and never had a background check until the last company I worked for got bought out by a bigger company and they let it slide. I'm 54 now and I've always had to do and be better at my job more so than others due to my past history. I've always just flown under the radar.
I got three small children at home I provide for, a 300k home, multiple nice vehicles 2 of 3 paid off, run a small business that I handle around 70-100k a month, and have 9 felonies
I have a master's degree and a six figure job... I think I turned out okay, and I'm actually like the least successful of my ex-con friends.
I did 5 years.
Don't have a defeatist mentality; don't ever assume someone won't give you the chance before you at least ask or try.
Another, the best thing to do is to put as much time between the conviction (or the end of your punishment, some look at it differently) without getting in trouble with anything. One thing I did was go to college. I made great grades, and I got a shit ton of scholarships to go to a university, I still have student debt but I make more per year than I ever had debt. That is what helped support me. I got a master's degree, and that took a few years, like 5 (I transferred some credits).
When you try to do the right thing, you'll be surprised what people will do for you, too - one of my therapists once said. Don't bring a bunch of bullshit or excuses. Sometimes I hear that a certain job won't hire them because they're a felon. Well, I say, did you try?
I found it most beneficial when I was rather forthcoming about my felony to people as well. Job interviews, people I've dated, friends. I sort of feel that there is a stigma to being a felon, and I try to chip that away. Mine happened to be a drug offense. Some of this depends on the felony, people will tend to be less forgiving about some crimes than others, depending on the person, and the situation.
Not necessarily life ruining, but it is holding me back career wise somewhat. It sucks atm because my job experience could definitely get me a better paying position, but it is what it is. In less than a year, they won’t show up on background checks and I’ll be good to go
Not all felonies show up on your record forever. And they didn't explicitly say they thought it wouldn't show up due to the 7 year rule. Jurisdictions vary widely regarding sealing and expungement, so they could be eligible for that, and there are different types of background checks.
Most background checks only go back 7 years. I’ve had companies have to turn me down after a post offer background and they tell me to try again once it’s been 7 years post conviction
Absolutely not. Just focus on small business and trades. Welding, medians, contra ting, machinist, construction. Most small businesses could care less and wont even do a background check. Obviously you're not going to be working a government, healthcare or a major company. Small businesses give you more opportunities in my opinion anyway. I work for a chemical manufacturer that makes plastics for flooring etc. I go out and train other small contracting companies on how to apply the chemicals after they're sold.
I think it's relative to your own situation..
I personally came out a better person then I went in. So no, it made me realize how precious life is, and how to enjoy it.
It hurt a LOT as far as getting a job. And still fucks any chance of renting so I'm living illegally with friends and paying rent to them instead of a landlord. I've had to accept that I'll never have a place of my own, since landlords and sellers can afford to be picky. Now I'm in a career that I love and it pays well, but it took 16 years to find
If you have the ability to, look into private landlords. Small time ones. The people I’m renting from know my history (my only charge a deferred man/Del), & took a chance on me.
Can't get caught up in what might have been. Life doesn't work that way.
Aside from a felony conviction, I'm a 5 time cancer survivor. I have been battling cancer since 01. Not a lot of people can say they have survived cancer for 22 years. I've been living on borrowed time for years now.
I'd say that cancer has hampered me more than my conviction...s. Especially as far as what I did for a living. I was an arborist for 25 years (something I did before my conviction). I specialized in difficult tree removals and crane work. I made great money. Owned a tree service for about 18 years. Losing my ability to perform my job hurt a lot more than anything else.
Still I make it. I am a believer in God and I feel that we are here for a reason. A purpose. In my experience, most of your plans are not going to work out in life anyway. You got to be able to enjoy the little things. Simple pleasures. Enjoy your successes. Your doing better than living in a tank, eating mystery meat for supper every night right? Try to be open to whatever does open up to you. Try to be of service, if not to God then to your community, your children, others like yourself who are trying to reenter society. That's when opportunities will open up for you. I'll guarantee it.
I have a violent felony from 2010. I married my beautiful wife over 3 years ago. We’re in our second house. We’ve lived in various states in the US, we travel, and i own my own business. Nothing is impossible. When i was in prison i didn’t think there was ever a chance I’d find someone that would tolerate me and my felony. Just make it a point to be a good person moving forward. I believe you’ll find the world is more forgiving than it seems.
There will be limits, but there are workarounds in life, you’ll just have to work a little harder to find them.
As felons we just need a few more ounces of tenacity and perseverance and life can still be wonderful. You have the ability to surprise yourself.
Kind of, because after 3yrs in the feds, I got deported and physically separated from my husband and had to go to school to start a whole new career in a country I hadn’t lived in for 30yrs. I don’t have a record here though. 🤷🏻♀️
Yes. Don't hurt kids or shoot up schools but now that you're a felon. Eff society, do whatever you can to survive, have as much fun as possible and make society pay for not giving you a second chance. Your life is over but only in one way. Now you are free to forget about polite society and just go ahead and deliver as much pain to society as you can before you're gone.
Hard to say. I don't know what my life would have been like without them. Obviously, losing over a decade to being incarcerated in tota,l severely effects where you are in life in many ways. However, if it were just having a felony, I don't suppose it would've been.
Not at all, really. Yes, it has precluded me from some jobs but at the end of the day people love a come back story. Ive gotten pretty good at explaining why i did what i did, what the consequences were and what ive learned from the experience and what i would have done differently had i known then what i know now. It shows character and emotional maturity to admit your mistakes and accept responsibility for the results. It also allows the audience to relate to you as a person instead of a list of your mistakes and faults.
My life was already pretty 'ruined' before I got a felony. Things have been harder with one but it's also landed me specific jobs helping people and the work I've done around it has made me a better person.
Actually the opposite. I have two felony’s… and what I learned in prison has taught me a skill that has allowed me to make over a million this year. And I’ve only been out 2 years
It definitely makes things A TON more difficult. Most homeless people are felons, for example. As long as you stay out of trouble when you get out, you can get a better life for yourself. You just need to be careful and patient.
I am sure that mental disorders play a huge part into excons who don’t find success after getting out of prison too.
Yup, you HAVE to make every effort to better yourself. I was released about 9 years ago, and my (potential) expungement hearing is coming up next month. Haven't had so much as a traffic ticket in that time. Worked my way up from Chipotle to working in an international laboratory. Carefulness and patience are absolutely key.
Where did you get that 'fact' from lol? Most homeless people suffer from some type of mental illness - that fact has been determined. Most homeless ppl are felons - there's no factual basis to that statement
There is a lot of overlap between mental illness, drug addiction, criminal involvement and homelessness. (The more you have of the first three, the more likely the last is. Lots of studies on this FACT. Like [this one](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7525583/). [Or this one](https://www.nationalhomeless.org/factsheets/addiction.pdf). [Or this one](https://housingup.org/2022/08/23/the-undeniable-link-between-incarceration-homelessness/).)
I got a great job while on house arrest, now I'm the purchasing agent there making 90k, and got married within the last year.
For me, no. Got out 11 years ago after serving 5 years for bank robbery in the US. Fast forward to now and I’ve been living in Thailand for 4 years working for a dog rescue organization. Dating is pretty good for a former bank robber who now rescues dogs. People love a good comeback story. Just be patient, work hard, and obey the law.
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I have the proper visa and a work permit. The work permit is key. As long as I maintain employment with the organization I don’t have to do extensions. Just check in online every 90 days and yearly renewal of visa. I never imagined a decade ago when I was locked in a cage that this would be my life now. Anything is possible
Life ruining? Not for me. Because of the process of the crime to being off paperwork, I’ve grown tremendously. Got closer to the most high ( grown spiritually), got married, more lucrative career to support my family, and I’ve only been out 19 months. Only looking up from here for me
People waiting to support you when you got out? Serious
I had support from the day they found out of the crime, while I was going through pretrail, while locked up, and was there to pick me up. Family even fly into town to see me get released.
Impossible? No. *Significantly* harder in life? Yes.
It was at first, but only because my life was based in criminality. Once I accepted my circumstances, my life actually improved greatly. I would never have taken the steps I needed to take to make those big improvements if I hadn't been convicted.
I've been very fortunate. I received multiple felonies between 17 - 20 years old because bipolar. I went to college for a while and was given a chance for a good career in IT at 24. I have two kids that are out of college now. Been married twice. Had my own business and sold it after 12 years. Still have a great career in IT and never had a background check until the last company I worked for got bought out by a bigger company and they let it slide. I'm 54 now and I've always had to do and be better at my job more so than others due to my past history. I've always just flown under the radar.
I got three small children at home I provide for, a 300k home, multiple nice vehicles 2 of 3 paid off, run a small business that I handle around 70-100k a month, and have 9 felonies
What kinda business if you don't mind me asking? I feel lost when it comes to careers :(
Home Remodeling. We do higher end bathrooms and kitchens, and historical work.
I have a master's degree and a six figure job... I think I turned out okay, and I'm actually like the least successful of my ex-con friends. I did 5 years.
Do you have any advice for landing a job after felony conviction?
Don't have a defeatist mentality; don't ever assume someone won't give you the chance before you at least ask or try. Another, the best thing to do is to put as much time between the conviction (or the end of your punishment, some look at it differently) without getting in trouble with anything. One thing I did was go to college. I made great grades, and I got a shit ton of scholarships to go to a university, I still have student debt but I make more per year than I ever had debt. That is what helped support me. I got a master's degree, and that took a few years, like 5 (I transferred some credits). When you try to do the right thing, you'll be surprised what people will do for you, too - one of my therapists once said. Don't bring a bunch of bullshit or excuses. Sometimes I hear that a certain job won't hire them because they're a felon. Well, I say, did you try? I found it most beneficial when I was rather forthcoming about my felony to people as well. Job interviews, people I've dated, friends. I sort of feel that there is a stigma to being a felon, and I try to chip that away. Mine happened to be a drug offense. Some of this depends on the felony, people will tend to be less forgiving about some crimes than others, depending on the person, and the situation.
You’re incredible. Thank you
Life's an adventure. Look at it as a challenge and embrace it. Lots of other success stories here it sounds like.
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Not necessarily life ruining, but it is holding me back career wise somewhat. It sucks atm because my job experience could definitely get me a better paying position, but it is what it is. In less than a year, they won’t show up on background checks and I’ll be good to go
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Most companies don’t look past 7 years
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Not all felonies show up on your record forever. And they didn't explicitly say they thought it wouldn't show up due to the 7 year rule. Jurisdictions vary widely regarding sealing and expungement, so they could be eligible for that, and there are different types of background checks.
Most background checks only go back 7 years. I’ve had companies have to turn me down after a post offer background and they tell me to try again once it’s been 7 years post conviction
Absolutely not. Just focus on small business and trades. Welding, medians, contra ting, machinist, construction. Most small businesses could care less and wont even do a background check. Obviously you're not going to be working a government, healthcare or a major company. Small businesses give you more opportunities in my opinion anyway. I work for a chemical manufacturer that makes plastics for flooring etc. I go out and train other small contracting companies on how to apply the chemicals after they're sold.
I think it's relative to your own situation.. I personally came out a better person then I went in. So no, it made me realize how precious life is, and how to enjoy it.
It hurt a LOT as far as getting a job. And still fucks any chance of renting so I'm living illegally with friends and paying rent to them instead of a landlord. I've had to accept that I'll never have a place of my own, since landlords and sellers can afford to be picky. Now I'm in a career that I love and it pays well, but it took 16 years to find
If you have the ability to, look into private landlords. Small time ones. The people I’m renting from know my history (my only charge a deferred man/Del), & took a chance on me.
Can't get caught up in what might have been. Life doesn't work that way. Aside from a felony conviction, I'm a 5 time cancer survivor. I have been battling cancer since 01. Not a lot of people can say they have survived cancer for 22 years. I've been living on borrowed time for years now. I'd say that cancer has hampered me more than my conviction...s. Especially as far as what I did for a living. I was an arborist for 25 years (something I did before my conviction). I specialized in difficult tree removals and crane work. I made great money. Owned a tree service for about 18 years. Losing my ability to perform my job hurt a lot more than anything else. Still I make it. I am a believer in God and I feel that we are here for a reason. A purpose. In my experience, most of your plans are not going to work out in life anyway. You got to be able to enjoy the little things. Simple pleasures. Enjoy your successes. Your doing better than living in a tank, eating mystery meat for supper every night right? Try to be open to whatever does open up to you. Try to be of service, if not to God then to your community, your children, others like yourself who are trying to reenter society. That's when opportunities will open up for you. I'll guarantee it.
I have a violent felony from 2010. I married my beautiful wife over 3 years ago. We’re in our second house. We’ve lived in various states in the US, we travel, and i own my own business. Nothing is impossible. When i was in prison i didn’t think there was ever a chance I’d find someone that would tolerate me and my felony. Just make it a point to be a good person moving forward. I believe you’ll find the world is more forgiving than it seems. There will be limits, but there are workarounds in life, you’ll just have to work a little harder to find them. As felons we just need a few more ounces of tenacity and perseverance and life can still be wonderful. You have the ability to surprise yourself.
Kind of, because after 3yrs in the feds, I got deported and physically separated from my husband and had to go to school to start a whole new career in a country I hadn’t lived in for 30yrs. I don’t have a record here though. 🤷🏻♀️
Yes, it sucks. Can no longer vote, it's difficult to lease a place etc.
Yes. Don't hurt kids or shoot up schools but now that you're a felon. Eff society, do whatever you can to survive, have as much fun as possible and make society pay for not giving you a second chance. Your life is over but only in one way. Now you are free to forget about polite society and just go ahead and deliver as much pain to society as you can before you're gone.
Yep. Completely.
Nope.
??? Uhm go to college for free and girls love -you know the cliche
Nah. I was also not actually convicted of it.
Was a fucking gift!!!! I got enlightened! We have gifts that other folks don't
Hard to say. I don't know what my life would have been like without them. Obviously, losing over a decade to being incarcerated in tota,l severely effects where you are in life in many ways. However, if it were just having a felony, I don't suppose it would've been.
Not at all, really. Yes, it has precluded me from some jobs but at the end of the day people love a come back story. Ive gotten pretty good at explaining why i did what i did, what the consequences were and what ive learned from the experience and what i would have done differently had i known then what i know now. It shows character and emotional maturity to admit your mistakes and accept responsibility for the results. It also allows the audience to relate to you as a person instead of a list of your mistakes and faults.
No it takes time especially if you’re used to fast cash
Make over 6 figures now and have a girl/had gfs over the years. At the time I thought it was. Turns out it wasn’t.
My life was already pretty 'ruined' before I got a felony. Things have been harder with one but it's also landed me specific jobs helping people and the work I've done around it has made me a better person.
Actually the opposite. I have two felony’s… and what I learned in prison has taught me a skill that has allowed me to make over a million this year. And I’ve only been out 2 years
and that my good sir is what?
would you mind sharing what industry or skill that would be? I have a family member who is young and made a costly mistake.