Ex-felons see criminal records as a 'life sentence'

Christian Science Monitor ^ | Monday, April 1, 2002 | By Seth Stern | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor

[JohnHuang2]

Sharon Lattiker has two master's degrees and is finishing up a PhD. But it's another credential earned more than a decade ago that controls her career: felon.

Even after a pardon from the governor of Illinois, Ms. Lattiker's check-fraud conviction makes landing her dream job as a public-school principal nearly impossible. "The X is always on your back," she says.

Nationwide, a growing number of convicted felons are seeking to erase any trace of past crimes as more employers perform background checks on job applicants – particularly since 9/11.

About a dozen states do wipe out at least some felony convictions. Most require ex-convicts to stay out of trouble for a set number of years and will only expunge first offenses. Most, too, refuse to erase crimes, such as murder, arson, and child molestation.

Now, amid rising concern that a criminal record can unfairly penalize some people for life, more states are considering relaxing their laws. For instance:

• In Rhode Island, legislators are debating whether to cut the waiting period between sentencing and expunging from 10 years to five.

• The Oklahoma state Senate has approved a bill that would allow the expunging of drug-possession convictions.

Felons in Oklahoma are barred from getting state licenses required for a variety of jobs, including working as a beautician. Convicted felons are also prohibited from hospital jobs or caring for children and the elderly.

"It's a big handicap on them the rest of their life," says Oklahoma state Sen. Frank Shurden. "If they straighten up, I want to give them a clean slate."

Illinois state Rep. Constance Howard says she, too, realized while hosting a career fair on the rough South Side of Chicago that while interviews went well, few landed jobs once employers performed background checks.

She's had little success convincing fellow lawmakers to approve proposed laws making it easier to erase criminal records – including legislation that would erase some criminal records where charges were later dropped or the sentence was served without any new arrests.

Wiping out criminal records, though, isn't welcomed by many employers. They say they fear unwittingly hiring thieves as shop clerks or bank tellers.

"Retailers do hire people who've made mistakes ... but we want to do it with our eyes open," says Rob Karr of the Illinois Retail Merchants Association.

It's not just job seekers applying for expungements. Stricter gun laws in Utah, for example, helped push expungement applications in Utah up 50 percent in the last three years, says Nannette Rolfe, of the state Bureau of Criminal Identification.

Expungements can make punishing repeat offenders harder, prosecutors say, because a record of prior convictions may increase bail or stiffen later sentences.

"Having that anchor around your ankle provides some deterrent," says William Guglietta, Rhode Island assistant attorney general. "That's the cost of getting involved in criminal activity."

Expungements may also erase any record of serious crimes by people who plead to lesser offenses, a study of Rhode Island expungements by Brown University's Taubman Center found.

A Rhode Island man, for example, charged with murder for killing his 4-month-old child was convicted of only assault and battery. After a year in jail and 10 years of waiting, any trace of the crime was cleared from his record.

In Chicago, Ms. Lattiker wonders if the problems of her past will ever disappear. Since being caught up in a check-writing scandal in the city office where she worked alongside her mother, she became a born-again Christian, paid restitution, and was hired as a private-school principal.

"If a person has served their time and paid your debt to society, how long does one pay for a mistake?" Lattiker asks.

[JohnHuang2]

Monday, April 1, 2002

Quote of the Day by liberalism=failure 4/1/02

[wafflehouse]

if you dont want a felony conviction 'cramping your style' for the rest of your life, then DONT DO IT.
maybe its just me, but that sounds pretty reasonable to me.

lets just forgive everyone.. they wont do it again.. an 'honest' mistake..
who thought up that silly rule anyway? < /sarcasm >

[pt17]

"If a person has served their time and paid your debt to society, how long does one pay for a mistake?" Lattiker asks

Too bad she didn't try to answer this question before committing a crime, but then most criminals aren't that bright to begin with.

[Rustynailww]

expunging does not erase the record.

[beekeeper]

This attitude has been with us forever- we do not want consequences for our actions. Remove the consequences and kiss the country goodby. Getting close, anyway.

[oldironsides]

I know an impeached and disbarred man that makes millions. She could be on his staff.

[lavaroise]

Gees. You'd think they'd mention the people that were charged but never tried or acquited. No, of all people whose record they want to erradicate, those of proven fellons and murderers!!!!

Sorry, but all share their burden in healing and perfecting society. Those who are not happy about it can go right back to jail!

[pt17]

I know an impeached and disbarred man that makes millions. She could be on his staff

You're right, of course. He's the founder of Socialist Liberals Inhibiting Consequence.

[Rifleman]

Well....Except for the fact that there are people with felony records for doing things like filling in a wet spot on their farm or making little plastic bottles that a criminal later used to distribute drugs. There are so many things that should not even be crimes that are felonies. Miscreants who serve their sentences then keep their noses clean, get jobs and pay their own bills for a few years should get ALL their civil rights back. The process should not be trivial, but neither should it be draconian.

If they are too dangerous to live as equals in our society, they should be kept in prison.

[Free the USA]

Check the Bump List folders for articles related to and descriptions of the above topic(s) or for other topics of interest.

[taxtruth]

If you do the crime and do the time then it's over.No more life sentences for felonies.Everyone needs to remember that the threshold for a felony has been reduced to a traffic offense in some states.

[MileHi]

No, of all people whose record they want to erradicate, those of proven fellons and murderers!!!!

Where did you read this? I don't know that anyone is calling to expunge the records of murderers. However there are many relatively minor crimes classified as felonies. In very many cases I submit that an infraction commited in youth and paid for should not haunt someone all thier life. I am very sensative to this as an excuse to deny citizens their second amendment rights.

[pokpoz98]

I think it's wrong that something you did when you were younger can follow you around forever. I have a 4 count felony ADW w/intent that holds me back from alot of stuff. (mind you it was a self-defense charge only charged because it was my weapon) I am receiving my associates in criminal justice, I am married, and I have children, yet, because of something that happened when I was young and dumb I have to pay for it forever. We talk about rehabilitation but, when a person is rehabilitated and hasn't done a thing wrong in almost 20 yrs is still being punished for something idiotic that goes well past prison. When given a sentence and given probation and it is proven the person is a perfect member of society why then should that person pay for the rest of their lives? It costs sooo much for and expungement, money, time, and when on probation for 10 yrs then you have to wait another 10 yrs why not just tell them hey you give us $2,000 and wait 20 yrs then you can actually be considered a normal person. Then again what is normal? What society perceives it to be? Who is society to sit in judgment of someone? Yet they cannot control their own priests or congressmen? So, once again I believe if you can prove that you are living a productive life then you should be able to do so without all these checks into your past mistakes.

[Darksheare]

So, you would want a man who raped and murdered your mother to come out of prison and work with your sister?

[oh8eleven]

pokpoz98
Since May 4, 2005
I have a 4 count felony ADW w/intent that holds me back from alot of stuff.
Go figure ... and welcome to FR.