Charlotte Criminal Lawyer Blog
Hidden Consequences of a Criminal Conviction
When you have been charged with a crime, you could be facing a number of serious penalties. If convicted, you could be sentenced to a variety of penalties depending on the sentencing guidelines for that particular crime, as well as other factors, such as your criminal history, and more. Depending on whether a crime is classified as a misdemeanor or felony, you may receive a sentence that includes fines, jail time, probation, community service, rehabilitative treatment, or educational courses, as well as other penalties.
Although you are typically most concerned with the sentencing you may receive if found guilty, there are other consequences that go beyond the court. In addition to the statutory penalties that will be imposed if convicted of a crime, there are other consequences that you may need to deal with as a result of the conviction.
Limitations of Constitutional Rights
Generally, citizens are afforded rights under the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution. When a person is convicted of some types of felonies, these rights may be taken away. If convicted of a felony, even a nonviolent crime, you will lose your right to own or possess a firearm in North Carolina. In some cases, you could be allowed to own a firearm if you are able to get the conviction expunged. While you are in prison or on probation for a felony, you are not allowed to vote in elections.
Employment Considerations
A criminal conviction appears on your permanent record. As such, a potential employer will have the ability to view the information. Most employers utilize background checks as part of the hiring process. This could make it more difficult to obtain employment after a criminal conviction. Additionally, some professional licenses require background checks. As a convicted felon, you may end up losing your professional license, or you could face disciplinary actions as a result of the conviction.
Housing Issues
Similar to employment concerns, landlords generally review a potential tenant’s application and background to ensure that they do not have any criminal convictions. A criminal conviction could limit your ability to rent an apartment or to obtain housing. You could also be unable to obtain a student loan or access to public assistance benefits in some cases.
Registration as a Sex Offender
If you are convicted of a sex offense, you will be required to register as a sex offender. This means that you will be included in a database that is publicly available. Friends and family members will be able to view the list, which could have ramifications for your personal life. Potential employers and others will also be able to check the database.
The personal consequences of a criminal conviction could be much more challenging to handle than the statutory penalties incurred. You and your family could pay a steep price for the conviction for many years to come. If you are charged with a crime, you will want to seek legal counsel to defend against the charges. To learn more, contact our criminal defense attorneys at Arnold & Smith, PLLC, at (704) 370-2828 to schedule a consultation.
The criminal defense attorneys at Arnold & Smith, PLLC make it their mission to zealously defend their clients on a wide range of criminal matters at both the state and federal levels. These matters may include any charge from traffic offenses; DWI/DUI; drug charges (from simple possession to possession with intent to distribute and trafficking); gun permit denials; weapons offenses; and property crimes (larceny, breaking and entering, robbery, fraud, embezzlement, white collar offenses); to sexually related offenses (indecent exposure; sexual assault, crimes against nature, removal from sex offender registry); and violent crimes (domestic violence; assault; manslaughter; homicide, murder). Other legal issues that Arnold & Smith, PLLC criminal clients may be facing include restraining orders, restraining order and probation violations, expungements; appeals; and immigration issues related to criminal charges. Our criminal defense attorneys are passionate about ensuring that individuals empower themselves by being informed about their constitutional rights and stand at the ready to fight in the defense of those facing criminal charges.
Source:
https://www.ncleg.net/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/HTML/ByArticle/Chapter_14/Article_27A.html
https://www.ncleg.net/enactedlegislation/statutes/html/bysection/chapter_14/gs_14-415.1.html
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