35 years LATER ...THIS is WRONG #BanTheBox
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/20/opinion/expunge-criminal-records.html?smid=fb-nytopinion&smtyp=cur&fbclid=IwAR0jVTuLBdfwOCdHgV9vWR0U2hOtilbUhW_1Mu_PXOgdWm-PLUUUY5G49iY
So here is a current take on how this is STILL affecting me! In 1984, I was at the War Eagle Supper Club and drove home. Yep...at 87 pounds 2 beers (seriously ...2, it was right before finals) put me over the limit (I know, you are now focused on that I actually weighed 87 pounds in college!). I did my night in jail, did my DUI class, paid my fine, lost my license and then moved on with life (sorta). I got a job as a school teacher in Americus GA (yep...) and had to of course while getting my license, reveal that I had in fact gotten a DUI (no big deal right? It had just happened).
So...fast forward ten years. I got a possession charge (if you know me you pretty much know that was a crazy time in my life...umm and ONE JOINT...ONE...in ALABAMA). So, same thing. Did my 30 minutes in jail (yep...don't ask, spring break set up..), did my DUI Level 2 class, paid my fine, lost my license, and moved on with life (sorta). So at the time I was able to keep my job and then I started slowly putting life back together.
NOW, let's fast forward to 2004 (so 20 years after DUI, 10 years after Possession). I am heading back to school (graduate school). Guess what questions you have to answer on the FAFSA (so yep...here we go)? Since I lived in Alabama all of it is STILL on my record.
2008. Apply for position at South Alabama, and because I answered a question incorrectly was called in at HR and screamed at that I was a liar and that I had a 1984 charge for DUI and left it off my paperwork and that she personally would make sure that me, a liar, would NEVER work there, EVER (really? so 2008, 24 year AFTER, and I don't get hired...due to not putting a 24 year old DUI charge on my paperwork).
Finished PhD...and guess what in 2012, 28 years AFTER DUI...still having to disclose it to get a job in academics (where if you know ANYTHING about academics you know that MANY of them drink heavily and smoke pot...probably due to all the stupidity of the administration but that is another rant for another day!).
SO...fast forward to this month (2019 -1984) 35 YEARS LATER TO THE MONTH of BOTH offenses (clearly March sucks for me!) I have a call from the some-high-up-attorney-general-in-the-state to fact check the question that the PSC (the muckety mucks in Education) want to censure my teaching license for NOT revealing that I had a DUI and a possession charge (25 years later)...ummm...NOPE! I was ready for this argument as they tried this about six months ago and I hired a lawyer, who then said...you got this on your own and are good...just fight it. Anywhoo, they wanted to FORMALLY censure me for a 35 year old incident and a 25 year old incident that did NOT occur while holding an active teaching license..umm...nope.
That is just wrong people. Just wrong!
So the attorney actually went back to the first application and realized that I DID report the DUI in 1984 when applying for my license (ok, so no censure for that one), AND that I not only reported the 1994 incident (in 2018 while applying for my renewal) but my license was not active in 1994 so you basically can't penalize me for not reporting it 25 years ago!
WTH? When people tell you we shouldn't vacate bad shit ever, I want you to think about what I have written here. 35 year old DUI??? 25 year old Possession charge...and not even a speeding ticket in 25 years? Frankly anything now in possession should be thrown out (hello...even in 1994, NYC had it as a $25 fine...). DUIs should come off after five years/10 max.
This is robbery. it is wage theft. It is evil, mean, hateful, racist, and does not allow people to ever move past that one or two things they did many, many years ago...Furthermore, it is not Christian as you are NEVER forgiven, you have paid your debt and you are NEVER allowed to move forward.
This is shameful...and frankly it allows bullying to occur at the highest levels in hiring practices (well we would have hired you but you know you were not potty trained at 2 so let’s just get real about this. We are afraid you will pee on the floor). See how stupid that sounds?
I actually did not get into one graduate school due to this issue ..again, like I told the asshole who stated he doubted I had changed (umm...I have a freaking master’s you moron, what does grad school have to do with a dui/possession). BTW, I saw this asshat at a conference, drunk off his ass, and basically let him have it in the hallway. I heard he later got in trouble screwing graduate students...Karma is a bitch.
36 states allow for some expungement of records...but NOT Alabama, Georgia, and Florida (my take is that it is because there are so many minorities who would benefit, and just so many Christians who want us to all go to hell for drinking or being bad people). https://ccresourcecenter.org/state-restoration-profiles/50-state-comparisonjudicial-expungement-sealing-and-set-aside/
But don’t worry...me and a homegirl who were both in DUI school together are making great decisions, moved on, have jobs in academics and are both well established scholars...married to great brilliant men, and WE were able to move forward in spite of our past (most likely due to the fact that we are white, middle class women with pretty damn strong personalities). But it is still wrong...and it is still racist...and it is still not allowing people to grow, to mature, and to change. However, I bet Squee and the boys were able to do just fine.