A criminal record can be really expensive.
Believe it or not, having a criminal record will cost you. Money certainly, because you will have incurred attorney’s fees along the way (although maybe that’s why you ended up with a criminal record – you let the public defender represent you.) Then there’s the fact that while in jail or prison, you can’t hold down a job and earn an income. However, the cost of a criminal record goes far beyond the issue of money.
In addition to money and a viable income, a criminal record also costs you relationships, the ability to get a good job and respectability in your community. That’s still not all. In addition to all of the intangible ways that having a criminal record will cost you, there are also the many rights you will lose as a result. Both state and federal laws are very specific about the fact that convicted felons may not do, participate in, or own certain things.
The list of your potential losses looks like this:
The Right to Bear Arms:
Both federal and Michigan law says that a convicted felon may not legally own or possess a gun or firearm of any kind. In addition, Michigan law also forbids a convicted felon from getting a concealed carry permit. There are some provisions in Michigan law that might allow you to restore your gun rights after a lengthy waiting period. You can read about that at www.RestoreMyGunRights.info
The Right to Serve on a Jury:
Michigan state law does not allow anyone who has been convicted of a felony to serve on a jury in a Michigan court.
The Right to Join the Military:
If you have been convicted of a felony in Michigan, regardless of how long ago the crime took place, or what it was that you did, you are forbidden from serving in the military. This includes all branches of the armed forces: Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and the Coast Guard. This also includes the National Guard.
The Right to own a Michigan Liquor License:
Convicted felons in Michigan are not allowed by law to own a liquor license. This means that you would not be able to own or operate a bar or restaurant that serves liquor. This does not mean, however, that you can’t work as a waitress or waiter or a bartender in one of these establishments. Only the owner is required to have a Michigan liquor license.
The Right to own a Gaming (Casino) license:
The majority of jobs that a person can get at a casino here in Michigan, requires that you have a license from the Michigan Gaming Commission. For those who have been convicted of a felony here in Michigan, you are immediately disqualified from receiving this license.
The Right to Habitual Offender Status:
In Michigan, if you have been convicted of a felony in the past and you are charged again for another crime, your previous conviction allows the prosecution to charge you as a repeat offender. Being charged as a habitual offender is likely to increase your sentence, with each subsequent offense increasing your possible sentence even more.
For all of these reasons and more, we urge anyone facing criminal charges to ensure that they get the best possible defense attorney to represent them. Like many other things in life, you often get what you pay for. Attorneys that work cheap probably have a good idea of what they’re worth. With attorneys, as with dentists and doctors, hire the best one you can afford to hire. These are not good places to be cheap.
If you or a family member or loved one are facing criminal charges, contact us 24/7 at 866 766 5245. Getting an experienced defense attorney on board right from the very beginning can go a long way towards ensuring a favorable result in your case.
For those of you who have already got a Michigan criminal record and would like to learn about the possibility of having your record expunged, read more about the requirements at www.thecleanteam.xyz. An expungement will simply erase a public record of your conviction. Note that Federal criminal convictions cannot be expunged.