I agree that there is always an opinion to do the right thing but sometimes people are driven towards unforgiving circumstances (definitely not all cases but it's usually not always black and white)
Growing up I learned that when we make mistakes, we can earn our forgiveness, only for me to learn slowly that no one wants to forgive.
What's the point in playing the game when all the pieces are set against you because of one thing you did. When even when you fulfill the law, pay the reparation, and live a life in society when it blacklists you. None of you feel any empathy or sorrow that this person is being shoved around and bullied. None of you want to show forgiveness to another human being whose only option is the mistake that screwed them over. I guess forgiveness is dead.
This exact same thing happened to me when I was 16. Possession over an ounce. Felony. 5 yrs later. Get it expunged, come to find out that's only for civilians.
Government sponsored, grade A, "scared straight" Bullshit.
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My cousin got out after a ten stretch, found an office job, and a new girlfriend, despite ticking that little box, and is now doing very well.
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Many mistakes are made during teenage years, and I think that once you have served your time, they should be forgotten, that you shouldn't have a criminal record hanging over your shoulders. You where young, you where dumb, experimenting with things that had always been forbidden, and you got into trouble, but jail for most teens, is a wake up call, and they leave with a better Veiw of life, and how they should behave, but the thing is, other people don't forget, other people think your still back.
For gods sake their just kids! I don't think any one over 20 can look back over their teenage years and say that they didn't do any thing they regretted.
honestly- not a lot of sympathy. It doesn't take much to remember that you've been to prison for a REASON. You can't expect to do your time and then when you get out everybody will treat you exactly the same. That's just the way the world works. Even if YOU know that you're a new person, people don't want the possibility of a liability in their lives/businesses.
Not everyone is brought up in an environment where staying out of trouble is easy, the thing potential employers need to ask is do you tegret your actions and are you ever going to do this again?
The thing that troubles me about this post is had it been an US jail and US criminal there would be dozens of comments railing against US justice system. Because this is a Canadian post everybody is just like, "well it is what it is"
No shit. But you have to think of it from an employers standpoint. If someone learned that you employ ex cons they would freak out and you may lose business. People are sensitive these days. And the reason I don't have much sympathy for them is because my Tahoe and my dad's work truck have been broken into multiple times. Power tools are expensive to replace
What's the point in playing the game when all the pieces are set against you because of one thing you did. When even when you fulfill the law, pay the reparation, and live a life in society when it blacklists you. None of you feel any empathy or sorrow that this person is being shoved around and bullied. None of you want to show forgiveness to another human being whose only option is the mistake that screwed them over. I guess forgiveness is dead.
.
My cousin got out after a ten stretch, found an office job, and a new girlfriend, despite ticking that little box, and is now doing very well.
.
For gods sake their just kids! I don't think any one over 20 can look back over their teenage years and say that they didn't do any thing they regretted.