9. Your Past Follows You
If you have young children, early teens and/or young adults, I would HIGHLY suggest that when you finish reading this week’s column, you pass it on for them to read. For any new readers, I’m an addict/alcoholic in recovery for just over three years now. I was ripping and roaring from the young age of thirteen years old until I was twenty-seven years old. I’ve had more arrests and more legal cases against me than most people my age, almost all a direct result of my addiction. Please do not mistake this for bragging or boasting; it’s the exact opposite. I’m just trying to help someone from making the same poor decisions that I made while caught in the grips of addiction.
Earlier this week I traveled to Albany to take a civil service exam and be fingerprinted for a job position I have been interested in. This interview process wasn’t like any other that I’ve participated in before; it was much more rigorous and in depth than what I was used to. I was fully aware of that going into it. I was required to disclose most EVERYTHING from my past; ALL my arrests (as a juvenile AND an adult), all the drugs I’ve tried, who I hang around with, etc. I showed up feeling so well prepared and confident in my interviewing abilities. I had all my documents filled out thoroughly; I made sure that I dotted all my Is and crossed all my Ts. I provided all the court dispositions (an official court document affixed with the Court Seal that says what happened in a criminal case) that they required, for each arrest I have EVER had. Mind you, my arrests date all the way back to 2007, and there were many of them. This task alone proved to be especially time consuming and extremely frustrating. I have no one else to blame for this but myself, and I know that. The interviewers went through my past criminal history with a fine-tooth comb, asking for what seemed like every single detail of each case. They were bringing up things they had discovered about my past that even I had forgotten about!
If you take anything from this week’s column; let it be this… YOUR PAST FOLLOWS YOU EVERYWHERE YOU GO. This hiring agency required that I disclose ALL court dispositions for all previous legal cases of mine. Now, most of my past legal cases have either been sealed or even expunged from my record because I abided by the terms I was ordered to when sentenced in court (drug treatment court, community service, etc.). I am thirty-one years old today and I found myself having to answer for crimes that I committed as far back as the age of thirteen years old. For my friends who struggle with math as I do; I was answering for crimes I committed over eighteen years ago. Do not be fooled into thinking that just because you commit a crime as a juvenile that it always goes away when you turn eighteen years old and are legally recognized as an adult. Sure, the case may be sealed where only certain governmental agencies, such as law enforcement, the courts, or the military can access the conviction, but it NEVER completely goes away unless it is expunged from your record, meaning that the conviction is COMPLETELY erased. It’s like posting something on the internet. Once it’s posted on there, it can’t be erased; it’s there forever. As an adolescent my mother ALWAYS insisted that I be very cautious with my behavior because the consequences may have long-lasting effects on my life. Looking back, I now realize that was PHENOMENAL advice. As I did with most things she told me, I brushed it off and didn’t think much about it. The advice went in one ear and right out the other - just as quickly as it came in. Looking back, I really wish I listened to her; it would have saved me a whole lot of trouble.
Most times I was arrested, the case would end in an ACD (adjournment in contemplation of dismissal) which provides for a full dismissal of the charges in the interest of justice following a period of time, usually six months to a year, as long as the defendant does not get rearrested during the adjourned period. I was under the impression that those cases of mine, both juvenile and adult, that ended in an ACD, were done with and long forgotten. I guess they are technically done with, but they sure WERE NOT forgotten. Our pasts follow us everywhere that we go and there certainly is going to come a time, if not many, in one’s life where they will have to answer for past actions, no matter how big or how small they may be deemed to be. For my younger readers… please try and keep that in mind each time you decide you want to bend the rules, test the waters or worse, break the law. Don’t let one poor decision from your childhood ruin your future. Believe me… it’s just not worth it! Trust me on this one. It’s difficult enough to find a career that you want to pursue. Past legal trouble will only make the process that much more difficult. Think twice before you act and ALWAYS consider the consequences of your actions because ultimately, your past follows you everywhere you go.
And remember, if you’re struggling, or know someone who is struggling, please don’t lose hope. If that had happened to me, I wouldn’t be able to spread awareness today.
