What are the Long-Term Impacts of a Criminal Conviction? Everyone can pretty much agree that we’d rather avoid a conviction if at all possible, but what are the impacts if you do receive a conviction? There’s a lot of details that can vary, like sentencing and what the alleged crime was; but in the long-term, some of the same significant areas of your life could be affected, like your:
- Career
- Family
- Housing
- Criminal Record
- And several more
If you’re concerned about a possible criminal conviction and need immediate assistance, our Missouri Criminal Defense Lawyers are available to help, 24/7. Here at Combs Waterkotte, we don’t charge by the hour, so don’t be afraid to call us at (314) 900-HELP or contact us online for assistance.
How to Avoid a Criminal Conviction in Missouri
Before going over the consequences and impact, let’s talk a bit about how to avoid being convicted in the first place. A conviction occurs when a judge finds you guilty of an alleged crime, or you enter either a guilty or no contest plea with the court. This will typically go on your criminal record (though not always in Missouri).
Convictions can be avoided in four typical ways:
- Criminal charges can be dropped, so there is no need for a judge or jury to make a decision.
- The judge dismisses the case, likely due to evidence or procedural issues.
- Being found not guilty in court.
- Or, certain plea agreements in Missouri can not include a formal conviction, if they are well negotiated.
Any of these three outcomes is generally a win, and allows you to avoid several detrimental effects, which we’ll be discussing below.
Career Effects of Criminal Convictions in Missouri
Criminal convictions can have a significant impact on your career. A criminal record may be visible to potential employers, and depending on the job and alleged crime, Missouri has laws that could disqualify you from employment. For example, after a drug-related alleged offense, you can be suspended from a public job, and later fired, if you do not complete a treatment program.
Background Check
In Missouri, conviction collateral employment consequences include allowing employers to conduct background checks, after which they could refuse to hire you or fire you, as Missouri is an at-will employment state. They can also dismiss applicants or employees who refuse. And based on IRS information, post-conviction declines in earnings and employment can be persistent, affecting earnings even when individuals completed their sentence. This highlights the importance of avoiding or expunging a criminal conviction.
Professional Licenses
Certain jobs require professional licenses in order to be performed legally and properly. These include positions in education, medicine, law, some trades, and some white collar occupations. In Missouri, there is variance in how much a criminal record will affect your ability to receive a professional license. For some licensing boards, an applicant can be disqualified by a conviction only if the alleged crime is related to the actions performed in that job. For others, any convictions on your record can lead to you being denied a license.
Impact of Criminal Convictions on Missouri Families
Beyond the individual convicted, the family members can be unseen victims of incarcerated individuals. While every person and situation is different, there are several common challenges family member face:
- Stress and strain
- Emotional toil of being separated
- Financial problems
- Education barriers
- Housing challenges
Children in particular have the potential to be greatly affected by their parent’s conviction and incarceration.
Can I Lose Custody Because of a Criminal Conviction?
Criminal convictions can play a major role in custody cases – while it is not the only factor the court takes into account, it can be a major one. The type, number, and time of the convictions all play a role in how big of an impact it has:
More convictions and more recent convictions both make it harder to win a custody battle. If the nature of the crime was violent and/or it was against a child, those can both be extra harmful to your chances of winning a custody case. For example, a trespassing charge from several years ago will probably be less impactful than an assault charge from recently, particularly if a child order of protection was given.
To learn more about the different types of orders of protections and how they affect custody, you can watch the below video:
How Does a Missouri Criminal Conviction Affect Housing?
With a criminal conviction and record, you could face additional challenges in finding both public and private housing. Depending on the alleged crime, you could be legally barred from living in certain locations. And landlords may be reluctant, or outright refuse, to rent to you. Compounding with the issues above, this increases the challenges of making progress in other areas and reintegrating into society.
A particular example is sex offender registries – people on these registries are required to live at least 1,000 feet away from schools, child care centers, and their victims. Violating this is against the law, and can even be a felony.
Missouri Criminal Convictions and Criminal Record Impacts
Most of what we talked about above stems from the Criminal Record you would receive after a conviction. In Missouri, the government keeps a history of arrests, convictions, and other data for individuals. Background checks can be searched by name or fingerprint, and will also include pending charges or certain probation information.
Preventing the Long-Term Consequences of a Missouri Criminal Conviction
It comes back to what we said at the start: it’s best to avoid a conviction if at all possible. This starts early, with taking the right steps immediately. Then, it’s important to contact an expert for help building your case. Working with a leading Missouri Criminal Defense Lawyer like Combs Waterkotte will give you someone with a strategy to stop a conviction from going on your record.
If you already have a conviction, expungement could be a good alternative.
Expunging Your Criminal Conviction
Expungement lets you remove incidents (certain arrests, charges, and convictions) from your criminal record. This is generally the best outcome after a conviction, though certain government agencies will still be able to access the details from the record. However, the general public will not be able to access it, and in most cases it will be as if the conviction never happened.
Not all convictions are eligible for expungement, but if you have anything on your record that you want to see if it can be removed, a Missouri Expungement Criminal Defense Attorney can help answer your questions. At Combs Waterkotte, we will fight to give you a second chance, free from the past and respecting all the hard work you’ve put in.
How Can I Avoid a Criminal Conviction in Missouri?
While expungement is a great option, ideally no one would ever like to have a conviction on their record in the first place. Even wrongful convictions can have detrimental effects, on both the accused and their families. If possible, you’ll want to avoid a criminal conviction, and make sure that you have the right people on your side to help you do so.
Combs Waterkotte can help. Wherever you are in the process, having a top Missouri Criminal Defense Lawyer will give you the edge in your fight for justice. With two former prosecutors who understand how the state builds cases against you, we won’t stop fighting until you get the justice you have a right to. Contact us online or call (314) 900-HELP to speak to an expert, today.
