Arrests, Bail Bonding and Your Professional Life
Everyone makes mistakes. In the US alone some 4.5 million people are arrested every year. Some are released without ever being charged. Others are charged with a crime and offered bail. With a small percentage, the severity of their crime or a lengthy criminal history will mean they are held without bail. For the purposes of this post, we are going to look at the potential repercussions of being arrested and then released with the help of a licensed bail agent.
How Will Being Arrested and Bailed Out Affect My Professional Life?
With only a few exceptions criminal convictions will remain on a person’s record indefinitely. While there have been efforts by various lawmakers at various levels of government to change that situation, (especially for people who were convicted of lesser offenses when they were young), little progress has been made. But what about arrests? And what about bail?
Unfortunately, just as convictions follow a person around for the rest of their life, so too do arrests. The sad fact is that an arrest will appear during a criminal background check regardless of whether or not charges were ever filed, or the charges were dropped, or you went to trial and were acquitted. And that’s true even if the arrest took place when you were 19 and you are now 50.
The official record is not concerned in this case whether you worked with a bail bond company and posted bail. The salient point is that you were arrested. If it happens that you were also convicted that too will appear on your permanent record.
That said, there are two bits of potentially good news here. The first is that if charges were never filed, or they were dismissed or you were acquitted chances are reasonably good that an employer will overlook the arrest. Especially if it happened some years before.
The other bit of potentially good news is that there are laws on the books in Colorado that limit a potential employer’s ability to hold certain types of information against you. And in most cases, an arrest by itself where you were released without charges or charges were dismissed, is not enough for someone to deny you employment.
Looking for a Job if You’re Out on Bail
In the US defendants have the right to a speedy trial. But “speedy” is a relative term. To you, it might mean a week or 2. To the overloaded court system it might mean 6 months. Maybe even longer. If knowledge of your arrest caused your employer to let you go, or you were unemployed at the time of your arrest, can you look for a job while you’re out on bail?
The short answer is “yes”. If you wish you can look for work while you’re out on bail. However most potential employers these days conduct background checks on applicants. And with database integration now a fact of life your recent arrest is most likely going to appear when they conduct that background check.
As such, hoping you can pull the wool over the eyes of a potential employer is a waste of time. In fact, if the potential employer discovers you tried to hide the arrest from them they will likely chuck your application into the trash and move on to the next applicant.
If, on the other hand, you are upfront with them about it, give them contact information of the bonding company, answer any questions that they may have about the situation and express your determination to avoid similar mistakes in the future, they may well cut you some slack and give you a chance. Especially if the charges against you are not that serious.
One more thing: These days there are far more job openings than there are qualified individuals to fill them. This has led to historically low unemployment figures and rising salaries. It also means that this is a good time to be looking for work if you are out on bail. Businesses need help and so if you possess the qualifications a potential employer is looking for they are more likely to take a chance on you today – even if you are out on bail awaiting trial – than they would have been say, 10 years ago.
What If You Want to Change Jobs While Out on Bail?
Let’s say you had a job you were planning to leave before you were arrested and took advantage of our 24 hour bail bonds. Should you go ahead and start looking for another job while you’re out on bail?
Frankly, the best course of action is to just stick with your current job until the legal process has run its course. You have enough on your plate attempting to formulate a defense and restore some stability to your home life without the potential upheaval and stress a new job brings with it.
Also, if your current employer was good enough to not let you go after you were arrested you might want to return the favor by not jumping ship as soon as you post bail. There will be plenty of time later to think about career advancement
Affordable Bail Bonds in Adams County
There is no law stating that you cannot look for work while out on bail. Whether you do will depend on your particular circumstances. If you’ve been arrested contact Urban Bail Bonds at (303) 736-2275.