Is Your Criminal Record Holding You Back? - How an Expungement Will Improve Your Life
Thousands of Minnesotans are facing challenges to their everyday life because their criminal record from past mistakes is haunting their every move. A prior conviction or even charge can prevent you from reintegrating into society, but an expungement can help you get the second chance you deserve.
An expungement can help you move forward in many different aspects of your life. Most people do not know the many ways that a criminal conviction affects one’s life so negatively, but any kind of criminal record can be costing you thousands of dollars every year in either lost potential revenue or higher loan rates.
The following are some of the many reasons why an expungement of any part of your record may improve your life.
Employment
87% of employers perform background checks on job applicants. Of these, 26% of employers would not extend an offer to an otherwise qualified candidate because of a non-violent misdemeanor conviction. A non-violent misdemeanor can be anything from a DWI or minor theft or marijuana possession. Thousands of Minnesotans have non-violent misdemeanors on their records. These stats demonstrate that a significant segment of the population may be facing challenges to employment just because of a simple mistake when they were younger.
Educational Opportunities and Loans
Not only does a criminal record hurt employment options, it can even make it more difficult to move on from your past through attaining higher education. More than 60% of colleges currently consider criminal histories in making enrollment and scholarship decisions. Even minor drug offenses can remove the opportunity for a student to receive financial aid from the federal government. Any student loans that you can acquire through private sources will have higher interests rates as well. You may even be disqualified from attending certain graduate programs if you have particular convictions.
Housing Opportunities
One of the most disheartening aspects of individuals trying to improve their life is that their convictions will even make housing searches more difficult. A majority of landlords conduct background checks on potential tenants as a part of the application process. They can, and will legally deny you housing if you have certain criminal convictions. Having these convictions expunged will allow you to find better housing and/or cheaper housing that will give you more opportunities to help move on with your life.
Professional Licenses and Certifications
Any profession that requires certification in order to receive a license will perform a background check to ensure that you have no convictions that conflict with the duties performed in that field. Violent crimes or convictions relating to your field will definitely harm your chances of attaining these licenses. If you are eligible for an expungement and your record is preventing you from getting your professional license then you need to get in touch with us today.
Volunteering Opportunities
Many volunteer positions that involve interaction with youth or other vulnerable populations requires a background check to ensure that you do not have crimes on your record that may place these people at risk. There are certainly justified reasons why these programs do this but you may be unfairly disqualified in the process as a safeguard. We’ve had multiple clients seek expungement simply because they couldn’t volunteer with their children for events or programs. We can help you be more involved with your children or community by expunging your record.
Adoption or Foster Parenting
All applicants for adoption or being a foster parenting will go through a thorough background check. Minnesota bans applicants that have certain criminal convictions on their record within a specific time period. If you have any aspirations to become a foster parent or adopt a child and you have a criminal record that involves any disqualifying crimes then you need to contact us right now to help you attain an expungement.