Depends on what crime they've committed. People who have an element of finance to their crime will likely never be permitted to handle money, for instance.
Federal jobs are LIKELY a no go for someone with a criminal record, but it could vary.
They can go to college but I think, if it's a federal crime, they cannot benefit from a student loan of any sort.
Having worked on the college side before, I'll say that...it's complicated.
Some institutions don't ask about an applicant's criminal background, many do and it varies on how they review the information from that criminal case.
The institution I worked at had a fairly extensive review process that had the applicant submitting additional information that would be reviewed by a committee made up of administrators from pertinent offices across the campus. The leadership at the institution recognized the unfairness within the criminal justice system and so the process really did try to understand the whole story to the best of their ability.
I sat in on the committee meetings as I was the point of contact for individuals who had questions about the process and/or the final decision that was made by the committee.
I would say the crimes that were reviewed the closest and had the largest number of denials would be sex related crimes as there were concerns with having that individual on a campus with a potentially large vulnerable population.
The balance of having the question on the application about criminal history (at least for my institution) is the freezing effect of someone not applying because they self-select out (they don't think they'll get in, it creates another barrier to entry with additional information, etc.) vs. the liability to the institution if a dangerous individual was allowed on campus.
I feel pretty strongly that the institution I worked at handled the process in one of the best ways possible, but I recognize the additional challenges it creates for individuals who are just trying to move on and better their lives.
It's a complicated issue and I'm not going to pretend to know the right answer or the best path, but I can share my experiences.
(I only speak in the past tense because I left that institution for a different job opportunity, but I have no reason to believe that they've changed significantly in how they review applicants with a criminal history (and in this case, they were only concerned with felonies).)
I did not know this! A lot of added perspective here, very wonderful to read. It is a tough situation, and it's so challenging to be mindful of those who might feel discomfort among those with sex convictions. Distressingly, their concern is baked in the knowledge that correctional facilities don't bother to correct anything. It's hard to combat this sociological pessimism against the convict when said pessimism towards institutions is warranted.
Thank you for reading and adding necessary context.
Thank you for sharing your story and experiences, I find your writing very insightful.
I can also share a bit more insight into my post above. Once again I will mention has a benchmark* process so in addition to a personal statement from the applicant, we would reach out to their parole officer and try to obtain arrest/court documents related to the case**.
In the case of sex crimes/registered sex offenders, there was definitely a look at the situation around what happened. Is this the 18 year old guy who happened to be dating a 15 year old and the parents forced the issue? That person is probably clearing the process. Is this a situation of rape or sexual assault? Probably not clearing the process.
There was/is consideration to how long ago the crime was and how recently the person was released. I saw individuals with extremely violent crimes admitted, but there had been a period between release and the person applying. Same thing applies with drug convictions, in looking at when the person was released.
I won't say that part of the process was necessarily fair since the individual had served their sentence for the crime they were convicted of, but the committee erred on the side of caution in this way to make sure the individual didn't fall back into old habits.
It was a tough process because the committee on an individual level was often very sympathetic with the applicant, but at the end of the day, they were serving the needs of the university and trying to assess the liability the institution if the news raised a story on someone we admitted or if an incident happened with the individual.
I think one reason the process works(ed) at this institution is that they were willing to take chances on some students. The Office of Admissions and the institution had confidence in the process and we could "easily" defend the decisions the committee made.
That committee was one of my favorite parts of that job because it was interesting and challenging to listen to what was happening in terms of decisions. Also I love policy and this committee was able to give me a lot of insight into policy decisions.
I suppose finally I'll add, and this probably could have been closer to the beginning of my first post, the institution first reviewed a student academically to see if they were qualified for admission and if they were admissible academically then they would go through what was called the "Community Enrollment" process.
*My own biases aside, it was a review process with a very thoughtful policy put in place around it and mission for the committee to follow in reviewing applications, but once again, there is always room for improvement, particularly for all of the systemic issues with criminal justice in the US.
**Very aware of the systemic issues that are present in these documents.
Very interesting. I'm glad you shared. It can be difficult looking at some of these guys and trying to figure out if others can feel safe around them. Prison, by nature, turns you into a more violent and volatile person. I wish people took into account that, if they're welcoming in an ex-con, they're welcoming in someone who has gone through a great deal of trauma.
What kind of work can people get after prison? Can they go to college?
Depends on what crime they've committed. People who have an element of finance to their crime will likely never be permitted to handle money, for instance.
Federal jobs are LIKELY a no go for someone with a criminal record, but it could vary.
They can go to college but I think, if it's a federal crime, they cannot benefit from a student loan of any sort.
Got it
Having worked on the college side before, I'll say that...it's complicated.
Some institutions don't ask about an applicant's criminal background, many do and it varies on how they review the information from that criminal case.
The institution I worked at had a fairly extensive review process that had the applicant submitting additional information that would be reviewed by a committee made up of administrators from pertinent offices across the campus. The leadership at the institution recognized the unfairness within the criminal justice system and so the process really did try to understand the whole story to the best of their ability.
I sat in on the committee meetings as I was the point of contact for individuals who had questions about the process and/or the final decision that was made by the committee.
I would say the crimes that were reviewed the closest and had the largest number of denials would be sex related crimes as there were concerns with having that individual on a campus with a potentially large vulnerable population.
The balance of having the question on the application about criminal history (at least for my institution) is the freezing effect of someone not applying because they self-select out (they don't think they'll get in, it creates another barrier to entry with additional information, etc.) vs. the liability to the institution if a dangerous individual was allowed on campus.
I feel pretty strongly that the institution I worked at handled the process in one of the best ways possible, but I recognize the additional challenges it creates for individuals who are just trying to move on and better their lives.
It's a complicated issue and I'm not going to pretend to know the right answer or the best path, but I can share my experiences.
(I only speak in the past tense because I left that institution for a different job opportunity, but I have no reason to believe that they've changed significantly in how they review applicants with a criminal history (and in this case, they were only concerned with felonies).)
I did not know this! A lot of added perspective here, very wonderful to read. It is a tough situation, and it's so challenging to be mindful of those who might feel discomfort among those with sex convictions. Distressingly, their concern is baked in the knowledge that correctional facilities don't bother to correct anything. It's hard to combat this sociological pessimism against the convict when said pessimism towards institutions is warranted.
Thank you for reading and adding necessary context.
Thank you for sharing your story and experiences, I find your writing very insightful.
I can also share a bit more insight into my post above. Once again I will mention has a benchmark* process so in addition to a personal statement from the applicant, we would reach out to their parole officer and try to obtain arrest/court documents related to the case**.
In the case of sex crimes/registered sex offenders, there was definitely a look at the situation around what happened. Is this the 18 year old guy who happened to be dating a 15 year old and the parents forced the issue? That person is probably clearing the process. Is this a situation of rape or sexual assault? Probably not clearing the process.
There was/is consideration to how long ago the crime was and how recently the person was released. I saw individuals with extremely violent crimes admitted, but there had been a period between release and the person applying. Same thing applies with drug convictions, in looking at when the person was released.
I won't say that part of the process was necessarily fair since the individual had served their sentence for the crime they were convicted of, but the committee erred on the side of caution in this way to make sure the individual didn't fall back into old habits.
It was a tough process because the committee on an individual level was often very sympathetic with the applicant, but at the end of the day, they were serving the needs of the university and trying to assess the liability the institution if the news raised a story on someone we admitted or if an incident happened with the individual.
I think one reason the process works(ed) at this institution is that they were willing to take chances on some students. The Office of Admissions and the institution had confidence in the process and we could "easily" defend the decisions the committee made.
That committee was one of my favorite parts of that job because it was interesting and challenging to listen to what was happening in terms of decisions. Also I love policy and this committee was able to give me a lot of insight into policy decisions.
I suppose finally I'll add, and this probably could have been closer to the beginning of my first post, the institution first reviewed a student academically to see if they were qualified for admission and if they were admissible academically then they would go through what was called the "Community Enrollment" process.
*My own biases aside, it was a review process with a very thoughtful policy put in place around it and mission for the committee to follow in reviewing applications, but once again, there is always room for improvement, particularly for all of the systemic issues with criminal justice in the US.
**Very aware of the systemic issues that are present in these documents.
Very interesting. I'm glad you shared. It can be difficult looking at some of these guys and trying to figure out if others can feel safe around them. Prison, by nature, turns you into a more violent and volatile person. I wish people took into account that, if they're welcoming in an ex-con, they're welcoming in someone who has gone through a great deal of trauma.