Last week we talked about the effect criminal charges can have on an individual's employment. Unfortunately, when someone spends time in prison for a crime, even if it is a minor crime and one that did not include violence, he or she may have a very difficult time finding a job. For those offenders who are sentenced to long prison sentences, however, the issue may be moot, as they may be too old to work after they are released.
The bill that could make employment after conviction easier
Anyone in Cook County who follows the national debate on drug crimes will be familiar with the push to reform sentencing laws for nonviolent drug offenders. There are many people from Chicagoland who will spend the next several decades in prison, or possibly the rest of their lives, just because they were caught with a significant amount of drugs. They were charged with and convicted of one or more federal drug crimes, like possession with intent to sell, and have been locked up since.
Defendants' rights win at the Supreme Court
Although the rule itself seems fairly simple on its face, the Fourth Amendment protection against unreasonable search and seizure is hardly without its loopholes. The actual language of the amendment says that law enforcement needs a warrant to search through an individual's possessions or home, but there have been a number of exceptions carved out of this right. But, according to a recent ruling by the Supreme Court of the United States, defendants' rights to privacy will be better protected.
