Introduction
Crime is an act which exists in every culture, the news and newspaper articles all over the world tell stories of misdemeanors every day. People constantly demonstrate absurd behaviors and violate social norms and laws. Each criminal always has their own motives for committing a certain deed, and they are often not clear to other people. An individual’s aptitude for a crime is defined by their behavior patterns. In its turn, character is shaped due to a huge number of factors, such as the economic situation, the family background, and level of discipline in schools and other institutions. These elements affect the person’s behavior and may become a reason for them to be involved in criminal activities. Every committed felony has consequences that can be negative not only for the accused person, but also for their families.
Main body
Once a person is suspected of committing a crime, they are arrested and tested in the court which would return a guilty or not-guilty verdict. The primary consequences a criminal faces are the legal ones. Considering the existing justice system, those who violate the law have to be punished by the government. There are five main types of punishment, which can be used by courts: fines, probation, community services, imprisonment, and death penalty. The verdict is delivered after considering all the factors, including the criminal history of an alleged person, their psychological condition in the moment of the crime, inflicted injuries and damage, and the absence or presence of regret.
The most minor punishment which could be assigned to the alleged criminal is a fine. Most people sometimes pay fines as it is a general practice for penalizing the violation of traffic rules. Individuals convicted of more serious crimes can also face fines. The purposes of this punishment are compensating the damage inflicted by the offense and discouraging future illegal actions. Judges usually impose fines for minor crimes, though it is still a sentence, and the defendant will have a criminal history even if they are not ordered with imprisonment.
Instead of giving the defendant a prison term, the judge may choose probation as a way of punishment. In this case, the person is released into the community, but they do not have the same freedom as other people. Basically, in the process of breaking the law, some of the civil rights of the person are immediately lost. It can be noted in the cases of probation when alleged criminals can be ordered not to leave their town, not to drink alcohol, or stay away from indicated people. There are also rules which are applied to each probation order: showing good behavior, appearing in court when it is ordered, informing the probation officer about any change of name, job, or address. Other conditions may vary depending on the circumstances, although they cannot be vindictive and must be targeted at the protection of the society. Probation is a general practice for those who committed small misdemeanors or have served part of their jail sentence, but in any way, it is a serious legal charge. A trip to prison is guaranteed in case an individual disobeys the rules which were defined by the court.
Another popular measure for punishing criminals is courts ordering community service. It has a few purposes, such as help to charitable organizations, decrease of the load on jails, and a chance for defendants to compensate for their deeds. In this case, a judge orders to provide certain work for the society in exchange for a reduction of fines or incarceration terms. When court subscribes community service, it is usually accompanied by a fine, probation, or suspended sentence. Usually, this type of punishment is selected for non-violent offenders or people with no criminal history as they are considered to bring more use while performing community services than being in jail. It is beneficial for both the society and the convicted person as it allows the offender to avoid the cost of incarceration and rehabilitate through the performed work.
The most serious form of punishment for criminals is loss of freedom. In this situation, the person is removed from the society and imprisoned. Under the constitution, the governments of almost all the countries have the right to take away a citizen’s freedom in case of a serious violation of the law. In cases of aggravated crimes, the person loses not only freedom, but also many basic rights, such as the right to vote. The more criminal episodes an individual participates in, the more serious consequences they would face. In some cases, the rights, including basic freedom, can be eliminated for the lifetime. Crimes for which a life imprisonment can be order depend on the laws of the country and may include murder, terrorism, child abuse, rape, treason, drug dealing, human trafficking, serious financial crimes, and many others.
The last punishment is the death penalty, which is usually selected for those who commit first‐degree murders under aggravating circumstances. This type of sentence is not used in many countries; however, there are places where it is being practiced till the present time. In the United States, the sentence is discussed by the jury, and the decision must be taken unanimously and cannot be rejected by the judge. Among the offenses which can result in capital punishment, there are causing death by using chemical or mass-destruction weapons, explosives, illegal firearms, murders during kidnapping or hostage taking, murder of a juror, and others. The method of execution is chosen depending on the case, according to the laws of the state in which the procedure took place. If death penalty is restricted in the county, the judge must select another state for carrying out the sentence.
Facts of criminal conviction can seriously influence future life of the person and their close relatives. Even a minor criminal record can become an obstacle to employment, housing, and education. These consequences are relevant not only for the convicted individuals, but also for their children and their families. One parent’s criminal record can have an impact on all the relatives in terms of income and savings, education, and family stability. People with a criminal record have almost no access to higher education, and it is proven that parent’s education level influences the child’s studying prospects as well. The lack of stability in families where one parent has criminal also impacts psychological state of children, which, in its turn, influences their development, school performance, health condition, future employment, and earnings. The life of such families can result in multi-generational poverty, as people having criminal history have many obstacles on their way to be employed.
It is a common practice for various employers to conduct a general background and criminal record checks before recruiting an individual. This procedure is aimed at revealing convictions and findings of guilt. Certain professional spheres make inspections more often than other; among them, there are education facilities, healthcare, financial service, information and technology sectors, and government workers. Some jobs in these areas require direct contacts with vulnerable people, for example, children for the teacher. Others give much power to the individuals in positions, for instance, police officers. It is obvious that employers would need to know the background of their workers to be sure they do not have criminal history and, thus, would not cause problems to the organization and other people. In case a person had issues in the past, the path to work in the mentioned spheres is closed for them, and it is better to search for other career opportunities.
For millions of people, a criminal history check becomes a serious barrier to receiving a dream job. It is obvious that such checks are necessary for employers, though, in reality, it often presents an obstacle for individuals trying to return to work. In many cases, background checks are not accurate and can become a reason for missing a good job opportunity for a worthy candidate. A tricky fact is that companies providing checks to employers usually do not have any incentive for documents verification, this way, they cannot be sure they are giving correct information. However, it is important to remember that laws of the most countries protect people against criminal record discrimination. Even in cases when a person does not have a pardon, there are ways for receiving a job if the record is unrelated. The best solution is applying for a Record Suspension which would help to avoid the possibility the past would interfere with finding work.
Being charged with a crime is an intimidating experience for any person. To help convicted individuals, there is a special interference called the Alternative Measures Program. Its purpose is diverting accused people from the criminal court system without exonerating them from responsibility for their actions. A program is usually recommended by police or the attorney and requires accurate consideration of many factors, such as previous criminal records, the seriousness of the charge, and the attitude of the accused person. An individual must be willing to accept responsibility for the act, and, after that, they can enter into an Alternative Measures agreement which entails fulfilling certain conditions. Depending on the case, many different terms exist and may include writing a letter to make an apology to the victim, paying a fine, participating in community services, and showing good behavior.
From the personal experience, Alternative Measures program is a good opportunity for helping others. For me, volunteering at a food bank could become one of the most rewarding practices. It gives an opportunity to see how much use this help brings to others. Moreover, it allows establishing good relationships and making friends with those who regularly come to the program. Volunteering can assist in reducing the level of stress and keeps a person physically active. It is also a way of exploring one’s interests and finding new passions.
Conclusion
In conclusion, every crime has certain consequences, and the government of any country possesses a right to punish those who violate the law. The judge always has many options of penalties, which always depend on the seriousness of an offence, the previous criminal records of an accused individual, and their attitude toward the committed act. Any crime, even the smallest misdemeanor, has a huge impact on the future life of the convicted person, closing many roads and restricting them from achieving certain goals. Moreover, the criminals are not the only ones who experience negative influence of the conducted offense as their families and children suffer as well. Nevertheless, there are possibilities of finding a way out of the situation, and special programs for helping people who committed small crimes exist.