4 Actions to Take Following a Felony Conviction

If there’s only one thing you wouldn’t want to receive in your lifetime, it’s being handed down a felony conviction. In addition to being more serious than a misdemeanor, a felony entails losing certain rights as a citizen. Apart from losing certain privileges, such a conviction also affects your reputation, the consequences extending even to your employability as well as your image within your community.

Regardless of whether you did commit a crime or not, it matters to know how you can move on from the conviction and restore your life. There have been felons who have resorted to other legal means to overturn their convictions or move on from the experience, regardless of the physical and emotional impact it has had. It’s only a matter of focusing on the right practical advice that will lead a person to lead a fulfilling life or demand the kind of justice they are due. Here are tips to keep in mind following a felony conviction.

1. Talk to your lawyer

Keep in mind that a felony conviction doesn’t always mean the end of the road. Regardless of the number of years you will be serving a prison sentence, you should have a clear understanding of the nature of your conviction and see what rights remain with you. 

It would help if you could consult with your lawyer, who can fill you in on the severity of your punishment and provide you with legal remedies to lessen the conviction’s impact on your life after serving time in prison. Your lawyer may also sense a mistrial, especially in the case of inadmissible evidence. Whichever the case, it matters to talk with your attorney and get a full view of where your conviction is leading.

2. Know what rights are intact

The biggest consequence of being handed a felony conviction is losing certain rights, many of which will affect how you work, interact, and live in your community. It pays to know that such restrictions aren’t absolute and many vary from one state to another. In Tennessee, for instance, individuals convicted of any felony may ask, “Can a felon own a gun or have their gun rights restored?” 

Under state law, felons are prohibited from purchasing, possessing, and using any firearm even after they’ve served their sentences. However, they can still petition the court to restore their gun rights so long as they go through a rigorous process. In other words, you still retain the right to free speech and seek out legal remedies to expunge your criminal record and restore your right to vote, practice a profession, and run for office, among others. 

3. Seek options other than an expungement

An expungement is the best way to recover from a felony conviction, allowing you to erase records of your criminal history and restore certain rights. However, the outcome of applying for an expungement will depend largely on whether you’re eligible or not and if you have passed a court review.

However, you should keep in mind that an expungement doesn’t always work for most cases. For severe crimes, it would make sense to ask for a pardon. If you’ve been the victim of judicial errors, you can have your defense attorney file a petition to reopen the case in light of new and overlooked evidence, as well as proof that your right to due process wasn’t observed during your trial.   

4. Find time to pick up where you left off

After serving your sentence, your felony record will stay with you as long as you live, until it has been expunged. Until then, it matters to think about how you can move on from the experience while your attorney works to help restore what you’ve lost. Look up community support groups that provide aid to individuals wanting to start anew. 

Some resources can help you prepare for employment and provide mental health interventions if you feel stigmatized by your record. Hope still exists for someone like yourself who has a desire to reconnect with society and start with a clean slate.

Endnote 

If you or someone you know has been convicted of a felony, there’s still a chance at legal redemption and recovery. So long as you follow these tips, you can overcome being labeled a criminal and earn a new lease of life.