Criminal Convictions Reduce Longterm Earnings.

One aspect of my job as criminal defense attorney is answering questions about the longterm impacts of criminal convictions. It's not easy. Over the years, I have talked to enough Human Resources (HR) personnel of various employers [often the parents of my clients] to learn that job applicants who have one or more criminal convictions are treated much worse in the hiring process than those with "spotless" records. Depending on the employer, and certainly depending on the kind of work (e.g., public safety, financial, and education) any criminal conviction (even the most innocuous of misdemeanors (e.g., "disturbing the peace")) might destroy one's chances of getting hired. It is often a heavily weighted factor that might cause someone to be pushed downward in the ranks of qualified applicants.

One 2006 study called The Impact of Youth Criminal Behavior on Adult Earnings found that, "[h]aving been either charged with or convicted of a crime decreases earnings by about 10 percent early in a young adult’s working career. However, receiving a conviction when young lowers subsequent adult earnings by about 13%." The study took into account that there are demographic variables that are correlated with both lower earnings and criminality. This was dealt with by comparing the earnings of siblings who didn't have convictions as youths with their siblings who did. Notably, the study was based upon data gathered for more than a ten year period unlike many other studies of its kind.

Adding to this concern is my intuitive sense that the current population explosion, globalization of the economy, and the increasing proliferation and accessibility of criminal conviction data brought by the digitial age are all factors which will increase the negative impact of a criminal past on one's earning potential.

It is difficult, at times, to impress upon people who are not versed in this subject matter to take their criminal charges seriously, and to do what they can to keep their records spotless. Unfortunately, I've talked to (and represented) enough people years down the line who wish they had fought their case now that they know what was truly at stake; their financial well-being. I always encourage these people to pursue any expungement, or related remedy, available to them. However, there is no substitute for avoiding the conviction in the first place.

A quiet Halloween

Compared with 2004, and other busy years, this Halloween celebration in Isla Vista was a quiet one. There were only 228 arrests (compared with as many as 700 in previous years). There were only 200, or so, citations for MIP and other alcohol related misconduct. The best news of all is that no one got seriously hurt. Apart from the fact that some community members are just disturbed by people letting their hair down and having a good time, the purpose of spending over $1,000,000 in law enforcement overtime compensation and other related expenses was to save lives; and it worked. Of course, the dependent premise is that someone would have died had they not all been there. Of that, we cannot be sure. But, better safe than sorry; no question. What is worth thinking about is that as many as 150 community members, who had no criminal records before the celebrations started, will, within the next few months incur convictions for mostly misdemeanors; the most common among them will be public intoxication (647(f) PC)). It is unfortunate that the lack of a sobering center Isla Vista, as I have pointed out in a previous post, in and of itself, is the number one factor why many will now have to do battle in court, or simply accept the fate of becoming convicted of a crime by pleading guilty. Maybe sometime soon the community leaders will make effectuating the State's policy preference to sober-up the intoxicated, see Penal Code section 647(g), a high priority, rather than criminalizing large swaths of the local student population every year at Halloween (and throughout the year). After all, we don't need any more "criminals" in our community, do we?