[QUOTE=Fox01;45057727]If that's true I honestly think you may have saved my life. Google is telling me no, but on the army website, they say they average in the crime relative to the national average. In other words, since I'm convicted of stealing $200 worth of stuff and it's a felony, I may be able to have a waiver since the national average for the threshold is much higher.
Seriously, I was offered several amazing contracts in the military, both Marines and Army for outstanding Pre-ASVAB scores. If it turns out you're right, this may be my chance.[/QUOTE]
Best of luck if you're heading down the army path seeing as you may just have a great chance, hope you don't delay this and grab a hold of the opportunity while you have it
[QUOTE=Sgt. Khorn;45057488]People are told not to do something, suddenly want to do said thing. And the bigger the punishment they can avoid, the "better" they look among peers.[/QUOTE]
this is so stupid
the riskier an action is the more valuable the outcome is, a dude running a meth lab has to pay his smurfs double if getting psuedo becomes twice as dangerous (roughly iunno the price probably goes up faster than that)
Am I the only one who thinks a stint in the military may not be the best choice for a married young man with a teenage wife? I know you're not really in a position to be picky but the military lifestyle is hard on married adults, let alone kids who are new to the real world and struggling to make ends meet.
[QUOTE=GunFox;45057452]Why that would be true is beyond me,[/QUOTE]
Being treated like shit by authority creates aversion to authority. I used to respect the police in general - now I only have respect for the ones I know fine well are honest cops. The rest can go fuck themselves.
While of course this isn't going to make me commit a crime, it may push people who were thinking about it to do it out of spite.
[QUOTE=onebit;45057273]No. The worse the punishment, the less likely an act is committed.[/QUOTE]
Didn't stop him did it?
Checkmate turbo nerd.
I didn't think I'd get this much positive feedback. Thank you all so much.
I'd like to give an update on what I may be doing with my life. Although it may seem I've decided pretty quickly, I'm finally starting to realize that I may have a few options I haven't delved into.
1. I will use the Army as a backup plan to recuperate my life if my plans fall through. I've discovered that I am possibly eligible for a waiver. I've also learned that I could possibly be forgiven for my crimes by the governor or legislature or at least have it expunged, assuming my source who told me this is credible.
2. After a lengthy talk with some lawyers, I've come to the conclusion that my lawyer is an unprofessional dimwit. His license was revoked years ago for misplacing evidence, for a two year period, until he finally got it back just recently. People at my father's work also told me he was an alcoholic. Therefore, I've spoken with an attorney in Fairfax who actually WANTs to work my case, and believes he can help me appeal in a year or two when I have the money.
- To further elaborate on the unprofessionalism, I probably should've got the gist of things when I met with my lawyer. He actually missed 4 meetings in a row with me over a month's period of time because he was 'busy with other cases' or 'away on vacation'. I paid him $1500, and the lawyers I have spoken to believe it is unfair that he didn't treat my case as an equal to those others.
3. I've discovered that although the law in Virginia may change, if it doesn't change within the next year or two, there is no feasible way to have my crime dropped to a misdemeanor. This really sucks. I'm guilty of a crime that accounts for the inflation relative to the year 1980. Ironically, I've heard that people in the earliest days of the US were released for crimes that changed, mainly based around interracial crime, though I think I may find a loophole to this, or petition our government in some way to assist my case.
4. I talked to my PO. She offered herself as a reference to my case and she gave me a list of jobs. All of the jobs on the list I've applied to. This list was a "generic" list, and in no way specifically directed towards me, because she listed Wal-Mart, Sam's Club, and Walgreens as jobs for me, when I am clearly permanently banned from any and all of even entering those complexes. The rest of the places were retail (Target, K-Mart, etc) of which I've already applied to and called managers about my application.
5. I broke down to the point where I decided to talk to my parents today about my future. I don't talk to my parents much, and they told me that when my father retires and when they get inheritance, they are going to help me start my own business doing what I want to do. I'm honestly not sure how much spare money we have, but I believe it will be enough to purchase a variety of tools for whatever I plan on doing. I will inherit a 4th of my grandmother's estate, valued around $300,000, plus various valuable artifacts. I really hate that I'm depending on this, because it seems selfish since it is my mom's money. My family truly cares about me, and I want to become successful and return the favor.
- I may have to live with my parents for quite a few years until things pan out, which isn't to my wife's favor. I'm worried I'm going to push her away if we have to live with my family for too long. I plan to mitigate this by fabricating a house of our own on my parent's lot (we have a lot of land) which would eliminate a large mortgage for us, and many bills. She still favors the idea of living in another city, just because we both have haunting past lives in this town. I think she'll see it through my eyes when I start building a house catered towards pleasing her. :wink:
6. In addition to starting my own business, I spoke with a truck driver who told me that you can purchase vehicles and lend them to a company and in return receive a cut of deliveries. I'm going to be researching this subject, and starting my own shipping business. I will probably get my CDL and study business management if this happens. I'm not too sure on details, because the guy I spoke with isn't exactly familiar with the concept either. I'd love it if someone who knew anything about the industry could contact me. I'm also wondering if a felon can operate a truck as an O/O with full coverage insurance. I don't see what being a felon has to do with insurance, but I was told it isn't possible?
7. Assuming I get the inheritance in a few years, I wont have any bills to pay and I'll be financially sound. I want to construct a small house for ~$40,000 but this is only after I've gotten a stable job. It may seem far fetched, but I'm quite lucky that my family isn't poor and is willing to help me. God bless those people out there who didn't win the birth lottery and live in horrible conditions WITH a felony. I would probably have died by now if I didn't have all of this extra income to start my own business.
8. If my company "takes off" I'm going to specifically aim to hire ex-cons/felons in similar situations to myself. I'm going to give people a chance, and I want to eventually raise a fund to assist people in rehabilitating themselves. This is something I want to achieve in quite a few years from now. It would make me really happy to help someone like myself and let them know that things are going to be alright. After receiving all of the support I've received, I'm confident that I can do anything I set my mind to.
So that's an update I guess. I'm going to try talking to my PO some more and I'm going to plan things out on paper, get an idea of just how much money I will have to start my own business, and I will start researching investments and business routes that I can take. For now, I'm going to educate myself to the point where I can become a Maintenance technician and possibly get a 4 year degree in electricity and seek apprenticeship. I've heard electricians, even as an apprentice, make good income.
You have the character to make it all the way to the top. Become the next Gill Bates or something.The stars are the limmit
You're a bad guy, we need bad guys
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yky4QtRX_DI[/media]
[QUOTE=Fox01;45065550]I've heard electricians, even as an apprentice, make good income.[/QUOTE]
I was going to make a post about how you should look into the trades, then I noticed you already are. Electrician is probably one of the best trades to get into - the courses are relatively inexpensive, it's clean, and there's demand for it everywhere in the world. It's my fallback if my engineering pursuits don't work out.
And plus, once you have your certification and have worked in the field for a while you could potentially start your own business and hire on whoever you like as apprentices - something you mentioned wanting to do.
[QUOTE=onebit;45057273]No. The worse the punishment, the less likely an act is committed.[/QUOTE]
This is the stupidest reasoning.
Why don't we just make all punishments for all crimes be the death penalty? ALL CRIME GONE!!!
[QUOTE=Zeke129;45065730]I was going to make a post about how you should look into the trades, then I noticed you already are. Electrician is probably one of the best trades to get into - the courses are relatively inexpensive, it's clean, and there's demand for it everywhere in the world. It's my fallback if my engineering pursuits don't work out.
And plus, once you have your certification and have worked in the field for a while you could potentially start your own business and hire on whoever you like as apprentices - something you mentioned wanting to do.[/QUOTE]
Do you think a company would be willing to cope with my background? My conviction is pretty irrelevant to the industry, so I don't see why they shouldn't. I've found several apprenticeships in the Tennessee Valley area, which would be perfect because I've always pictured living in the or around Knoxville, TN.
[QUOTE=Fox01;45066272]Do you think a company would be willing to cope with my background? My conviction is pretty irrelevant to the industry, so I don't see why they shouldn't. I've found several apprenticeships in the Tennessee Valley area, which would be perfect because I've always pictured living in the or around Knoxville, TN.[/QUOTE]
My only interaction with the trades has been welding, and living somewhere else the culture might be totally different, but in my experience people don't care much about each other's backgrounds as long as you're responsible and can do good work. People might be a bit harsher on you if you're running your own business (that company is run by an ex-convict! blah blah), though.
[QUOTE=Levithan;45065757]This is the stupidest reasoning.
Why don't we just make all punishments for all crimes be the death penalty? ALL CRIME GONE!!![/QUOTE]
It wouldn't stop crime but it sure as hell would reduce it.
[QUOTE=bisousbisous;45067087]It wouldn't stop crime but it sure as hell would reduce it.[/QUOTE]
people much smarter than you have proven otherwise
Well, I got into the army national guard just fine with two counts of shoplifting on my record. (Mine were misdemeanor charges, the value far exceeded your case though) You could probably even get a security clearance, the only reason I wasn't able to get one because of multiple offenses. (Should be able to get one now, if I choose to switch my MOS) And what types of jobs are you applying for exactly? There are some places that are actually really good companies that don't do background checks, like Men's Wearhouse.
Honestly I'd worry less about spending your inheritance on building a house and renewing your vows and starting a business and more on lawyer fees. Trying to find a way to get that felony off your record should be your absolute number one priority. You're only 20, you're still really young, use this time while you still have the support of your family to try and fix this. If all else fails, then think about starting a business. I'm not trying to tell you how to live your life, but there's no reason for you to drop 40k on a house when you can live with your parents. So what if your wife isn't happy, it's not permanent, you have to get your life back on track and you need to devote all your resources towards that, she should support you in that.
[QUOTE=ilikecorn;45068912]Felonies often preclude you from military service though, unless the military is really hurting for people. Even the marines aren't taking felons anymore, and they used to be taking anyone off the street that could do a pull-up.
I'm not saying you shouldn't try; but don't put too many eggs in the military basket.[/QUOTE]
I've seen people with felonies get in. But yeah, the military is cutting drastically at the moment so don't look to be able to join too soon.
[QUOTE=Zeke129;45065730]Electrician is probably one of the best trades to get into - the courses are relatively inexpensive, it's clean, and there's demand for it everywhere in the world.[/QUOTE]
Take a religious vocation and become the world's first Amish electrician.
[QUOTE=GunFox;45057452]This concept is called deterrence, and it is incorrect. Heavy punishment has little to no effect on any serious property crime or violent crime. Many violent crimes show a slight, but statistically significant, correlation that eve suggests the opposite; worse punishment results in more crime. Why that would be true is beyond me, but the point remains: the overwhelming consensus among criminologists is that deterrence isn't effective.
I know, it seems like it should be, but I promise, it really isn't.[/QUOTE]
In my country, Singapore, criminals are given coporal punishment. They are caned on their bare bottoms with a rattan cane four feet (1.2 metres) long and half an inch (1.27 cm) thick. And mostly, they are given 4-6 strokes with the maximum given is 12 strokes.
I'm not exactly sure how effective this punishment is but Singapore has one of the lowest crime rate in the world. But low crime doesn't mean no crime.
Good luck to you mate. This country ruins lives for pretty crime.
[editline]10th June 2014[/editline]
[QUOTE=iAmaNewb;45069004]In my country, Singapore, criminals are given coporal punishment. They are caned on their bare bottoms with a rattan cane four feet (1.2 metres) long and half an inch (1.27 cm) thick. And mostly, they are given 4-6 strokes with the maximum given is 12 strokes.
I'm not exactly sure how effective this punishment is but Singapore has one of the lowest crime rate in the world. But low crime doesn't mean no crime.[/QUOTE]
That or the criminals are just really good at not getting caught.
[editline]10th June 2014[/editline]
[QUOTE=urbanmonkey;45068899]Honestly I'd worry less about spending your inheritance on building a house and renewing your vows and starting a business and more on lawyer fees. Trying to find a way to get that felony off your record should be your absolute number one priority. You're only 20, you're still really young, use this time while you still have the support of your family to try and fix this. If all else fails, then think about starting a business. I'm not trying to tell you how to live your life, but there's no reason for you to drop 40k on a house when you can live with your parents. So what if your wife isn't happy, it's not permanent, you have to get your life back on track and you need to devote all your resources towards that, she should support you in that.[/QUOTE]
For better or worse, you'll have a harder time supporting you and her (plus maybe kids)in the future if you have that felon still on your record. A few years living with parents now saves you a life time of poverty mate.
[QUOTE=FreeHat;45057369]Something seems fishy, honestly. Great grammar, and yet lived a shitty life before being a felon. Renewed vows for only a year of being married... marrying some chick at 16-17, ect.
I'unno, call me a skeptic of the story -- but I do agree the law does need to be updated, or at the least, toned down.[/QUOTE]
I have decent grammar and lived a shitty life filled with poverty. I also married at a young age and am going to renew my vows after 3 years of marriage, which isn't as short as a year but still a very short amount of time.
Poor people aren't mindless retards who take selfies and practice Ebonics all day. How is his story unbelievable in any way besides the fact you're reading it on the internet?
I forgot to mention I should have been arrested many times due to the kinds of situations extreme poverty lead you to, and the decisions you're forced to make but I got lucky and was never caught.
[QUOTE=Levithan;45065757]This is the stupidest reasoning.
Why don't we just make all punishments for all crimes be the death penalty? ALL CRIME GONE!!![/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=innerfire34;45067172]people much smarter than you have proven otherwise[/QUOTE]
It worked pretty well for Vlad the Impaler though.
Don't just go to Army recruiter, go to ALL branches before you decide. You'd have to get in on a waiver with a felony charge.
Have you looked into pro-bono legal representatives? I'm sure you have but. In Georgia there are groups of attorneys that will help less fortunate people get felonies from earlier in their lives expunged in order for them to find employment.
Otherwise, I'd recommend trying to find a local-ish restaurant serving job. They don't drug test and tend to be a bit more lenient with criminal history. You only get paid $2.13 an hour, but the cash tips often come out to WAY more than a minimum wage. At the level of employment you're looking at, it's just about the most money you can make legally.
[QUOTE=FreeHat;45057369]Something seems fishy, honestly. Great grammar, and yet lived a shitty life before being a felon. Renewed vows for only a year of being married... marrying some chick at 16-17, ect.
I'unno, call me a skeptic of the story -- but I do agree the law does need to be updated, or at the least, toned down.[/QUOTE]
Virginia lets you marry at 16/17 iffin you're pregnant iirc.
I don't know I'm really not an expert on my state's laws. I only recently found out the my girlfriend and I aren't actually legally supposed to be living in the same house.
I guess that makes us hardened criminals.
[QUOTE=Moustacheman;45075869]Virginia lets you marry at 16/17 iffin you're pregnant iirc.
I don't know I'm really not an expert on my state's laws. I only recently found out the my girlfriend and I aren't actually legally supposed to be living in the same house.
I guess that makes us hardened criminals.[/QUOTE]
We got married in Texas with permission from my wife's parents because she moved to Texas shortly after I got arrested and whatnot. I was so angered with Virginia's laws that I moved to Texas for awhile, until I decided to move with her back to Virginia because my parents wanted to support us and help me get through school.
Also, I passed the TVA's apprenticeship pre-exam with flying colors. I only missed one or two conversion questions, so I'm going to work on learning more about the conversions. Surprisingly, the test was easy. It revolved around circuits, switches, putting things together, and puzzles a whole lot. I didn't think I'd have been that good at it.
Right now, I'm just wondering how to get started with an apprenticeship as an electrician. Do I find a job that trains me with no experience (unlikely?) or do I just go to community college and take a degree with relevance to electricity and THEN use that as a ploy to get a job with an apprenticeship program?
The TVA seems the most relevant if the later is what I'm supposed to do. Right now, the TVA is actually in my area cleaning out the river from a coal ash spill caused by duke energy.
[editline]11th June 2014[/editline]
[QUOTE=Mister_Jack;45073249]Have you looked into pro-bono legal representatives? I'm sure you have but. In Georgia there are groups of attorneys that will help less fortunate people get felonies from earlier in their lives expunged in order for them to find employment.
Otherwise, I'd recommend trying to find a local-ish restaurant serving job. They don't drug test and tend to be a bit more lenient with criminal history. You only get paid $2.13 an hour, but the cash tips often come out to WAY more than a minimum wage. At the level of employment you're looking at, it's just about the most money you can make legally.[/QUOTE]
I worked at a Mexican restaurant as a busser making $7.25/hr and working 60 hours a week. There was a steep language barrier between us that caused problems. Firstly, my manager failed to make a schedule for the entire duration of my employment. Every night I had to call my friend to translate from her and ask whether or not I was scheduled. In turn, instead of making a schedule, they told me I worked opening to close every day of the week. One day, I called out two hours before work because I had to take my wife to a pediatric endocrinologist at Duke University in Raleigh, NC. My manager acted put-out and offended, and said I had to notify days before if this was going to happen again, which was complete BS since the effects of diabetes aren't exactly predictable.
Secondly, as I was working at this restaurant, my pay was shorted $200 on my paycheck the week before I decided to quit. I had to call my lawyer and my lawyer threatened to get workman's comp and basically I caught them trying to steal money from me. I ended up getting my money because they were afraid the Government was going to get involved and find out they had a load of illegals in the back working.
Thirdly, the told me to shave my head, which seemed ridiculous since I have short hair of the average typical white guy. Even more ridiculous since I was a busser and no where near food all day. Also, I had to see a doctor because I had so many blisters on my feet that were getting infected from being forced to work 60-70 hours a week.
It may seem a bit like I'm complaining when I should have been grateful, but trust me, I loved working. I smiled while I had to mop every morning and night and hummed along to happy tunes and I reminded myself often that god is great in giving me a chance to work and prove myself. I was pretty hurt that I had to quit, actually, because I felt sort of betrayed. I gave those people all my hard work and it got thrown out.
I wasn't going to mention this in the OP, because I'm worried people will have mixed opinions about it. Yes, I was employed once before and it ended poorly, but not because of my own work ethic at all.
During my first job, I got an interview at Olive Garden and was placed before a hiring manager that went to my Mexican restaurant often. He said he saw how hard I worked and he was willing to work with me and help me out on the terms that I quit my current job. Olive Garden paid much better, $5.30 an hour PLUS a percent of sales which turned out to be quite a bit, especially since I'd be getting benefits. I'm not going to lie, after having been treated poorly at my first job, I was really nervous and I think I came off as a bit too confident in my interview. When I'm nervous, I usually retort with overconfidence in myself to boost myself up, and I think I kind of came off as conceited. I didn't get the job. He told me he'd call me back in a few days and he never did.
[B]Edit:[/B] Also at my first job I was registered as part time. My name was misspelled on every pay stub so I wasn't able to refinance the car that my parents had financed for me (so I could raise my own credit and whatnot) My boss and everyone else in the store thought my name was Jeff for some reason when my name is entirely different. Once I heard a guy talking with the other waiters and waitresses about how he was stealing from Sheetz and gas stations. I thought it was bullshit he didn't get fired for bragging about that. I would never brag about my case. Actually, I chose NOT to socialize at all at work and instead appeared like I was an OCD workaholic which was sort of a good thing. Customers commended my work and often tried to tip me which I couldn't accept since I was a busser. Everyone in that restaurant worked there for a social life it seemed like. I'm sorry, I don't go to work to socialize. I'm kind and all, but I'm not going to step away from my duties just to converse.
A canadian couple came in oe time and told me I was being over worked since I was the only bus boy in the entire restauraunt the whole day. They tried to tip me $120 and a waiter ended up getting the money instead. I almost cried at the sheer fact someone actually acknowledged my work.
Honestly, you should really look into the military route. You're obviously not happy with where you are currently in life and the military is a great opportunity to get the hell out of where you are and just go somewhere else. You can get some better experience than some basic minimum wage work and they will put you through any schooling you want to do if you go through the hoops and are determined to make something of your time.
You can get out of where you are and within a year look at being put somewhere that with your wife you can rent a proper house and start building a life for yourselves. Talk to some recruiters and see what they can do for you and your wife.
[QUOTE=slayer3032;45078054]Honestly, you should really look into the military route. You're obviously not happy with where you are currently in life and the military is a great opportunity to get the hell out of where you are and just go somewhere else. You can get some better experience than some basic minimum wage work and they will put you through any schooling you want to do if you go through the hoops and are determined to make something of your time.
You can get out of where you are and within a year look at being put somewhere that with your wife you can rent a proper house and start building a life for yourselves. Talk to some recruiters and see what they can do for you and your wife.[/QUOTE]
Military will also have him away from his family for a while, even longer if he ends up being deployed. Not something ideal to subject a young mother and child to.
As long as I'm based in a region that my wife can live with me at, I'm considering the military. I've even heard in regions overseas we can rent an off base or on base house with our allowance. Of course I could be sent to an area where that is not possible, but it's pretty unlikely I've heard.
We're prepared to be apart from each other a bit. We've been apart from each other before while we were in a long-distance relationship, so it isn't necessarily new to us. The thing many people don't understand is that the both of us have endured a lot more than the standard teenager. She has lived withe Type-1 Diabetes from 12 years old and I've dealt with a lot of situations that require street smarts myself. We're both in it for the long-term with a future goal in mind. We don't live life for the day, we live progressively.
Right now I've pretty much decided factory work and electrician work is my calling. I'm attending community college for an AAS in manufacturing.
[QUOTE=Zeke129;45086348]Military will also have him away from his family for a while, even longer if he ends up being deployed. Not something ideal to subject a young mother and child to.[/QUOTE]
Which WILL ALSO provide his family with a house, free, unlimited medical care, money to buy shit and an on base exchange to buy cheap shit at and free fucking college. Also, i know you being a canadian and everything you might not have heard but we're pulling out and becoming a peace time military again, which means the likely hood he'd get deployed drops dramatically and also it becomes more competative and much harded to join. It also depends on his MOS, he could be a desk jocky.
[QUOTE=Ta16;45088306]Which WILL ALSO provide his family with a house, free, unlimited medical care, money to buy shit and an on base exchange to buy cheap shit at and free fucking college. Also, i know you being a canadian and everything you might not have heard but we're pulling out and becoming a peace time military again, which means the likely hood he'd get deployed drops dramatically and also it becomes more competative and much harded to join. It also depends on his MOS, he could be a desk jocky.[/QUOTE]
What's the commitment? "4 years" is rattling around in my head but I don't know if that's accurate. If it is, a lot of things can change in 4 years on the global stage. Going into the military expecting not to end up in a conflict situation sounds like a recipe for disaster, you should always hope for the best outcome but prepare for the worst one.
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