When South Carolina residents are charged with a misdemeanor, they may think that this is not a serious offense. A misdemeanor charge can have far-reaching consequences, though, and it is important to understand how a seemingly simply offense can affect someone’s life for years.
A misdemeanor can affect a person’s life in many ways. According to Time magazine, a conviction can carry serious consequences. People may find that they are unable to get loans from some lenders or have restricted access to housing. Others might have difficulty getting custody of their children or visitation rights. A person’s job can also be affected by a misdemeanor conviction, as he or she may be unable to become licensed in certain fields.
Even if people do not need to be licensed, they may still encounter difficulties gaining employment. BackgroundChecks.com says that misdemeanors typically appear on background checks. This is because a misdemeanor becomes part of a person’s criminal record, even though it was for a minor offense. This means that after people have been convicted of a misdemeanor, they need to report it on job applications.
In some situations, a misdemeanor conviction may not appear on a background check. This is because some states allow background checks to omit misdemeanors if a certain number of years have passed since the conviction. Sometimes people may also be able to get a misdemeanor expunged from their record, especially if the misdemeanor is the only charge on their criminal record. If this offense is not expunged, it usually remains on your criminal record permanently.