Do you have a criminal record?

[Robert Maxwell]

However there is a guy who lives in the same city as me and has the same first, middle, and last name who committed manslaughter that I was frequently confused with by the local press while his two trials (the first ended in mistrial) were going on.

Jeez, that sounds awful! I hope it didn't cause you too much strife.

I once lived in a town in Indiana where there were two families with my surname: mine, and this other family that wasn't really related to us in any appreciable way. This other family was widely regarded as a bunch of ne'er-do-wells, always in trouble with the law, involved with drugs and theft and other nonsense. There were occasions when people would judge me by my last name, including one instance where a Realtor discouraged a couple from selling a house to me. My Realtor found out it was because this woman thought I was from "that" family. She ended up losing her license over that.

It's kind of nice living in New Jersey where nobody gives a shit what your last name is.

 

[ares93]

Is this your first day reading my posts?

No. But for the death of me. I cant seem to get used to them.

 

[Vulcan Princess]

No criminal record. I'm boringly law abiding. (Though I did have to insert a line item in my budget for parking tickets for a while.) However, somebody with a similar name is wanted for something (not sure what), so every time I try to fly, I get the TSA's special treatment. It's enough to make me want to find other methods of transportation.

 

[Locutus of Bored]

However there is a guy who lives in the same city as me and has the same first, middle, and last name who committed manslaughter that I was frequently confused with by the local press while his two trials (the first ended in mistrial) were going on.

Jeez, that sounds awful! I hope it didn't cause you too much strife.

Nah, mostly just lots of amusingly confused calls from family members and friends and reporters trying to reach my parents for comment on their violent skinhead son's case.

I once lived in a town in Indiana where there were two families with my surname: mine, and this other family that wasn't really related to us in any appreciable way. This other family was widely regarded as a bunch of ne'er-do-wells, always in trouble with the law, involved with drugs and theft and other nonsense. There were occasions when people would judge me by my last name, including one instance where a Realtor discouraged a couple from selling a house to me. My Realtor found out it was because this woman thought I was from "that" family. She ended up losing her license over that.

There was a girl with the same last name as mine that preceded me by a few years in high school and must have outwardly resembled me a bit. She was something of a hellraiser, because whenever the teachers would read my name while taking attendance on the first day of school you'd see some of them grimace, look closely at me, and then question if I was related to her. I was filled in on some of the stories about her later.

 

[Beagleman]

Expired, made some dumb decisions when I was a kid (ok, you can't really call early twenties "kid) but I've think I've outgrown that phase for good. Doesn't mean I don't enjoy certain illegal activities. Thank god, the German justice system is extremely lenient...

 

[ares93]

Expired, made some dumb decisions when I was a kid (ok, you can't really call early twenties "kid) but I've think I've outgrown that phase for good. Doesn't mean I don't enjoy certain illegal activities. Thank god, the German justice system is extremely lenient...

Lenient, my... Where the hell do you live?

 

[Beagleman]

Expired, made some dumb decisions when I was a kid (ok, you can't really call early twenties "kid) but I've think I've outgrown that phase for good. Doesn't mean I don't enjoy certain illegal activities. Thank god, the German justice system is extremely lenient...

Lenient, my... Where the hell do you live?

Northwestern part of Germany, the south is different (Bavaria is our Texas ) If it isn't anything violent they basically treat you as "a young adult who didn't really know what he was doing" until you're 30 and you just get a slap on the wrist. Seems to work, I learned my lesson.

 

[Tora Ziyal]

Drats! I wish I had seen this post earlier before everybody responded. This is exactly the type of thing that you should never ever answer on the internet in any way, shape or form. Trust me big brother, etc. can and will find these posts if they go after you for a crime. Internet postings are avidly sought after by law enforcement to use to against defendants in court....

Technically, the thread was about whether you have a criminal record, which would be easy for any LEO to look up anyway. I agree that the people admitting to illegal activity for which they haven't been charged are probably doing themselves a disservice, though.

Exactly.

And then there are folks like me who very publicly committed civil disobedience -- and, in my case, subsequently passed background checks to work in corrections. There's no reason for us not to post the info on-line.

 

[pimp]

Yes - I ate all the pies

 

[RJDiogenes]

Worst I ever got was a speeding ticket. No actual crimes to speak of.

Yeah, yeah, I know, it's not at all exciting. Big deal. I'd much rather be boring and free, than be some badass rebel and in jail or dead.

Wow, you care so much about what other people think about you, you even get defensive when you admit you don't have a criminal record.

Well, you see, much like either you're sleeping with a different woman every weekend or else you're a painfully uncool virgin, either you lead a life of brazen crime or you're a painfully uncool non-offender.

Sounds like my Mother's philosophy of life.

 

[Myasishchev]

Yes - I ate all the pies

One time I stole forty cakes. It really wasn't as terrible as the media made out.

 

[Mr Silver]

One time I stole forty cakes. It really wasn't as terrible as the media made out.

Thats what happens when suits' waste the snacks they get with their cups of tea and coffee

 

[Alidar Jarok]

I got arrested once, but I was never charged with anything.

So I think the answer is "no."

I even have a completely clean driving record. Mostly because I don't drive.

It might vary by state. At least here, the answer is no as far as a criminal record goes, but not an arrest record. You'd have to apply for an expungement from the Board of Pardons in order to wipe that clean. As a law clerk (not a paralegal like PurpleLady) at a Public Defender's Office, I know it's quite simple to look up records that include everything you've ever been charged with (at least since turning 18, not sure if Juvenile offenses are sealed). As for convictions, even DMV employees have access to that. Certainly no legal harm could result from admitting you've been convicted of something previously as far as I know (eta: That's not legal advice, fwiw).

 

[Myasishchev]

No, you're right, it couldn't. I can think of a few possible exceptions regarding juvenile sex crime victims, but I'm not sure that's the case, and in any event the conviction would still be public record and obviously you can't be tried again. I imagine you could sign a contract to the effect that you would never speak of a crime again as well, but that's a different matter entirely. But nice cover anyway.

Anyway, the United States direly needs to prevent criminal background checks for employment in all but sensitive cases (drug convictions ≠ pharmacy tech, child molestation ≠ child care worker, obvious shit). It's a pretty fucked up system.

 

[Mr Silver]

I made this thread not knowing what to expect. Obviously, I had a feeling there would be a lot of clean people here (including myself) but I did envision that there might be a lot more convicted felons. Who says a criminal can't be a fan of Star Trek?

 

[Finn]

Some of the talk about parking violations reminded me of a story my old boss once told me after I got a parking ticket at work (federal cops).

As contractors, we both have orange parking tags. My old boss once parked in an area he didn't realize were for people with red tags (upper level administrators and other "VIP" employees such as "star" research scientists).

He tried to tell the cop writing him the ticket that he was color blind.

 

[RoJoHen]

I made this thread not knowing what to expect. Obviously, I had a feeling there would be a lot of clean people here (including myself) but I did envision that there might be a lot more convicted felons. Who says a criminal can't be a fan of Star Trek?

It has been my experience that convicted felons are usually either a) in jail or b) not prone to using computers.

 

[Mr Silver]

I made this thread not knowing what to expect. Obviously, I had a feeling there would be a lot of clean people here (including myself) but I did envision that there might be a lot more convicted felons. Who says a criminal can't be a fan of Star Trek?

It has been my experience that convicted felons are usually either a) in jail or b) not prone to using computers.

Oh come on, you know what I meant!

 

[PKTrekGirl]

Sometimes I lament my misspent teen years. I was all busy with academia and getting into a good university and scoring a minimum of 1400 on the SATs. I should have been running away and vandalizing property and getting drunk and tripping.

You act like those things are mutually exclusive or something. But I am here to tell you that they most definitely are not.

I was the only student in my high school graduation class who graduated in the Top 10 GPAs in the class....but who nearly missed one of the graduation ceremonies because I was out behind the school smoking weed with my friends.

If I hadn't been the lead percussionist in the high school band as well and the band director hadn't come looking for me, I might have missed the whole thing.

But then...'Bohemian' has ALWAYS been Us.

Oh...and by the way, I do not have a criminal record of any kind, other than a speeding ticket or two...although I'm the first one to admit that it's not that I wasn't guilty - it's just that I was never caught.

I don't regret much from my teens and 20's...but yeah....my recreational drug use (and not just weed either) could have gotten me in trouble if I had been a little less careful.

 

[SmoothieX]

I was detained by a Mountie last summer for stealing gas.

Real story is that I was filling my tank, couldn't pay at the pump, and was walking in to pay when someone started a conversation with me. I completely forgot to pay. We were a mile or so down the road, getting some groceries for our campground that night, when the Mountie walked in and approached us. We apologized profusely, drove back and paid the guy, and went on our way. The worker at the station said we didn't look like the type, apologized for calling the cops on us, but we bought $60 worth of gas and he needed his fair share.