According to a recent survey, men with criminal records account for a third of the nonworking men between the ages of 25-54. Even a minor criminal record can make finding employment or housing an insurmountable obstacle.
Almost one in three Americans have some kind of criminal record - between 70 million and 100 million Americans. Any criminal record can be a block to employment, building credit or even public assistance. 9 in 10 employers perform criminal background checks as do 4 in 5 landlords according to statistics.
When seeking employment,those with criminal records do not fare well, especially minorities. One study found that 34 percent of white job applicants without a record received a callback, while only 17 percent of those with a criminal record did. Among African Americans, 14 percent without a criminal record received a callback while only 5 percent of those with a record heard back from a potential employer.
Young people getting off on the wrong foot in life may have difficulty turning things around given current policies. In response, many states have addressed the issue locally by banning questions regarding criminal history for state government jobs - known as the ban the “box” movement. U.S. Senators have introduced the REDEEM Act, which, if enacted, would make it easier for juveniles who commit nonviolent crimes to expunge or seal their records, making the road back productive lives possible.
With so much at stake, juveniles or other ‘interlopers’ in the criminal justice system would be well-advised to seek experienced legal representation when facing criminal charges. Since 1987, the criminal defense attorneys of The Law Offices of Andrew C. Ladd, LLC, in Waukesha, Wisconsin, have been providing complete, aggressive and experienced juvenile criminal defense services to minors charged with juvenile crimes, such as drug charges, underage drinking and possession of alcohol, or defending more serious felony charges such as assault.
A mistake should not cost a young person their future at the hands of over zealous prosecutors. Over the last several decades, our juvenile services attorneys have earned an excellent reputation among juvenile court judges and legal professionals for our integrity and honest efforts to truly help minors protect their rights.
Source: GBTribune, “Even the Smallest Criminal Record Can be a Life Sentence of Poverty”, by Lane Anderson, accessed July 4, 2015.
