The Consequences of Crime and Punishment

The Consequences of Crime and Punishment

There was a good article in the April 2010 edition of the Tennessee Bar Journal by Nashville attorney Vincent P. Wyatt titled Crime and Punishment…and Punishment.

While none of the lawyers at Patterson Bray practice in the area of criminal law, the article is nonetheless pertinent to many civil lawyers (as well as the public at large) in that it focuses not on criminal law per se, but rather on the various civil consequences of having a conviction on your record.

For example, there are apparently tons of jobs in Tennessee that require licensure that be jeopardized or denied based on a relatively minor conviction — many of them you would dream of!  Things like being a private investigator, midwife, barber, locksmith, real estate appraiser, lottery retailer, or land surveyor.

Other possible consequences can include the loss of state pension eligibility, loss of voting rights, inability to carry a firearm (per federal law), revocation or ineligibility for a passport, and loss of eligibility for public housing, student loans, and/or food stamps.  Conviction is also grounds for divorce under the law.