An arrest can disrupt your life in many ways, but so too can a criminal record. Even if you’ve put your mistakes in the past and moved on, that criminal record can linger and have long term effects on your everyday life. Today, we take a closer look at a number of different ways a criminal record can affect your life in hopes of showing why it’s so important to get a defense lawyer to help beat the charges.
Ways A Criminal Record Impacts Your Life
Here are five examples of how a criminal record of your arrests can affect your life.
1. Your Job – Most employers conduct background checks on potential employees, so if a background check reveals an arrest, your resume may be moved to the bottom of the stack or thrown away altogether. Even if you have a job, management can conduct background checks and if an arrest shows up that violates company policy, you can be demoted or even fired.
2. Housing – Another place that often conducts background checks on applicants is property management. Some apartment or housing complexes may deny your application if you’ve been convicted of drug sale or possession charges, or you can be evicted if you’re currently living there.
3. Your Credit – Along a similar vein, a criminal record can make it difficult to maintain a job or secure financing, which in turn can hurt your credit score. This can make it difficult to get a loan to buy a home or a vehicle.
4. Your Driving Ability – Some arrests result in the revocation of your driver’s license, which means you’re not going to be able to get around like normal unless you can apply for a restricted license. Being unable to drive can impact your ability to hold a job, or it can simply make routine tasks much more difficult. If the potential loss of your license is on the line, be sure to contact a criminal defense lawyer.
5. Your Rights – Every person is endowed with certain rights, but those rights can be revoked if you’ve been convicted of some violent or felony offenses. For example, a person can lose their right to vote or the right to have a gun in their home. Some arrests can also affect child custody agreements.
These are just a few of the ways in which an arrest and criminal record can affect your life, so as you can see, it’s in your best interest to hire a criminal defense lawyer if you end up in handcuffs. For more information or to schedule a free case evaluation, reach out to Appelman Law Firm today.
