Criminal charges can damage your reputation, but a criminal conviction can completely upend your life. That’s why it’s imperative that you do everything you can to build a strong criminal defense to protect your interests. As you progress in your case, though, you may be confronted with a tempting plea bargain. Before you agree to one of these agreements, though, you should really know the implications of the conviction that you may be facing.
How a criminal conviction can affect your life
A criminal conviction can have a wide-ranging and deep impact on your life. Here are a few ways that your life can be affected:
- Housing trouble: Individuals who have a criminal conviction on their record can find it hard to secure housing, especially if their conviction is for a felony offense. Even when these individuals are able to find housing, it’s oftentimes less than ideal.
- Employment issues: While a criminal conviction can lead to termination from your current job, it can also affect your ability to find employment in the future. Most employers conduct background checks and automatically disqualify those who have a criminal history. Therefore, your job opportunities may be limited.
- Professional license suspension or revocation: Those who work in professions that require licensure can see their license suspended or revoked, either of which can quickly ruin a career that took years or even decades to build.
- Educational issues: A criminal conviction can prevent you from furthering your education, too. This is because a lot of federal funding for educational purposes is denied to those individuals who have been convicted of certain crimes.
Do what you can to protect your interests
These damages can be daunting, especially in light of the fact that you may be facing the very real possibility of jail time and extensive fines. We don’t say all of this to scare you, but rather to give you a clear sense of the importance of building a strong criminal defense and aggressively advocating for your position. As you build your case, you may find that you have strong criminal defense options at your disposal that can protect your interests and your future.