We all make mistakes and sometimes those mistakes get us into trouble with the law, we can do our best to get out of trouble and in many cases with the right attorney and a little luck we will. However, there are those inevitable times when the best lawyer and the best streak of luck are not enough to get you out of a criminal conviction. In those cases, he will have a criminal record attached to him for the rest of his life. That criminal record can affect his lifestyle in a wide variety of ways. Let’s take a moment to look at the ways that a criminal record can affect you.

First, it can affect your ability to earn a decent living. A criminal record can be used as a basis for an employer not to hire you. While most of the time it is possible for a potential employer to listen to what happened and take it into account before making a hiring decision, there are some companies that have a zero tolerance policy against convictions of any kind other than trafficking. very mild. or drug possession charges. In those cases, a criminal conviction means an automatic closed door.

In many states, and in some cases in specific cities, there are laws that allow rental agencies to conduct background checks and use the appearance of a criminal record as the basis for denying you an apartment or house to rent. These laws are not very common, but they do exist, mainly in the largest cities and in the most conservative states.

This means that the legal problems you had 20 years ago may be enough to prevent you from getting that amazing apartment when it’s time to move for work.

In most states, the law allows a lender to run a background check on a person before making a decision about whether to make a loan or issue a line of credit. These laws mean you can be denied a car loan, a mortgage, a small business loan, a home improvement loan, even a personal loan or check cashing advance based on the presence of a criminal record. In fact, some banks won’t even open a checking account for you if you have a conviction for certain crimes on your record.

Many volunteer organizations will not allow you to work with them or accept donations from them if you have a criminal record. In most cases, you will not be able to work with many government agencies, even as a volunteer or even volunteer to work on a political campaign or with a civic action coalition with a criminal record.

There is a possibility that you will be denied entry to other countries, or if you are allowed to enter the country, your movements may be restricted to only certain cities while traveling abroad. Your passport will often indicate the presence of a criminal record on it (many countries still don’t, but more are starting to do so every year).

In the case of a work visa application for most North American and Western European countries, you can surely be prepared to have your application denied if the conviction is of a felony. These are some of the many ways that a criminal record can affect your lifestyle.