Should criminals get a second chance?

Is it possible to learn in life without making mistakes? It certainly makes it more difficult to improve as a person without finding out the difference between right and wrong through personal experience. 

Sometimes things get a little more serious. If you litter, you'll get a ticket and a fine. If you run a red light, you'll get a similar punishment. Whatever your motivation for your actions, you'll get a second chance not to do it again. 

This makes it hard to decide whether people should get a second chance when the crime is more severe. If someone commits a felony, this is a serious offense. It often speaks to their character, along with the situation they placed themselves in. 

What about driving while under the influence? This is a crime that will make it hard to ever get behind the wheel with the same privileges you used to. That doesn't mean it's impossible, though. We'll talk about cheap insurance for convicted drivers, getting to go back to work after committing a crime, and more.

Do the Crime, Do the Time

The U.S. has a lot of flaws with its legal system, but one of the good things is they do not do an "eye for an eye" punishment. This is not ancient Greece, after all. There are better ways to punish people. 

The country doesn't run over drunk drivers after they hit someone after a horrible decision to get behind the wheel. What does happen is the removal of most of the driving privileges that belong to people who drive every day. 

Is this fair? That's not really up to a single person to decide. There certainly needs to be some accountability for putting others at risk while on the road. The only way to guarantee it doesn't happen again is to take away the ability to drive and get insured at the rates that others do.  

But what if the convicted driver has gone years without adding another offense to their record? Do they deserve to start getting some of their dignity and good reputation back? It's complicated. How far back do insurance companies check for a DUI?

Time is a huge factor in forgiveness, but convicted drivers are going to need to do other things to prove that they have improved. 

Many insurance companies will give you auto insurance if you have taken a defensive driving course after a DUI. This shows that the person is learning and improving their ways on the road. 

It's not a given that they will get better rates, so they need to go through a company known for discounts related to defensive driving courses. Some of these include Farmers and GEICO.

You also can try to expunge offenses from your record if you have never committed any other crimes. This applies to driving crimes and other crimes, as well. But what are the ethics behind expungement? Should this really be something that is given to someone who has committed a felony? 

How does a crime affect your career?

Committing a crime also has huge consequences for your career. Many companies will not employ a felon, and others will even look down on misdemeanors for future employment opportunities. What jobs fall under this category?

Government jobs like firemen, teachers, and law enforcement have strict non-felony restrictions for their hires. This may be because you are viewed as untrustworthy if you have a criminal record. It could also be because a criminal on their force is bad for publicity and their reputation. 

If you have a misdemeanor on your record, this will still make it difficult to get service jobs, but other opportunities should be easier to get. Things like petty theft and shoplifting are obviously less impactful on a public record than murder or sexual assault. 

If you have given a lot back to the community and paid your dues, it should be within reason that many criminals should get another opportunity for employment. Maybe they won't get another opportunity in these jobs, but lower-profile ones that don't require a lot on your resume. 

Try applying at fast-food restaurants like Burger King or McDonald's. Criminal backgrounds might even allow people in sales and similar fields to tell their stories and how they overcame the mistakes they made in marketing campaigns. Companies love these types of stories. 

The Money and Fame Factor

It should not be ignored that a person's social status before they commit a crime has a huge impact on their consequences and their opportunities for second chances. Money and fame have an indirect effect on the fallout of doing something wrong. 

Take Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson for an example here. He has been accused of sexually harassing dozens of women, but he hasn't been punished in any way yet. His reputation is shattered, sure, but he still got paid by his employer this year and got a new contract for next year.

He didn't play any football games, but his salary more than enough proves his privileges that normal folks wouldn't receive. His fate hasn't been decided, but the way it's been handled so far proves the point that famous people get more leeway than regular folks. 

That's the one thing we can all settle on fully. Your social status and your yearly income should be irrelevant in the discussion of second chances. Everyone in any demographic deserves to try to improve if they make mistakes. 

Unfortunately, the legal system often punishes those who are in tough situations. High-crime areas have more police presence and more prisons than others, meaning that children who are born into one of these towns are scrutinized at a young age and at risk of being put down a path they can't recover from.

This makes it even more important for parents to teach their children the value of responsibility and good decision making from a young age.

People should still expect that there are going to be consequences for making mistakes no matter whether they are rich or poor. This can range from what you are allowed to buy to whether you can keep your job. Think carefully about what you choose to do in life. Usually, it's just not worth it. 

Shawn Laib writes and researches for the car insurance site, CarInsuranceComparison.com. He wants to help drivers understand the ways that car insurance is impacted by decision-making on the road.