The Collateral Consequences of a Criminal Conviction in Maryland

When most people think about the consequences of a criminal conviction, they think about penalties like fines, probation, community service, and jail time. While these are certainly possible after a criminal conviction in Maryland, there are also significant collateral consequences that may occur, some of which may affect your life more adversely than the consequences imposed by the court.

Professional Consequences

Many professions such as law, medicine, and accounting require you to obtain and maintain a license from a state licensing board. Having criminal convictions can make obtaining a license more difficult and can mean a current license may be suspended or revoked, which means your career in that profession must come to a halt. Even if you do not need a professional license, it may be challenging to get hired if a company does a background check and learns about your criminal record.

Academic Consequences

Higher education programs generally consider any misconduct in your past when determining your acceptance to a program and a conviction can keep you from being admitted to the program of your choice. In addition, convictions for drug-related offenses can disqualify you from eligibility for federal financial aid, which can prevent you from being able to attend the program you want.

Immigration Consequences

For people who are not American citizens, a criminal conviction could have an impact on their ability to stay in the country. Importantly, this is true even for non-citizens who have achieved permanent resident status (commonly referred to as a “green card”). Importantly, even relatively minor criminal offenses could have immigration consequences, so any non-citizen who has been accused of a crime should speak with an attorney knowledgeable about the way in which criminal matters can affect immigration status prior to taking any action that may affect their rights, including accepting a plea bargain that involves Probation Before Judgment (PBJ).

Contact Rice, Murtha & Psoras Today to Speak With a Baltimore Criminal Defense Lawyer

A criminal conviction can result in consequences that last long after any court-imposed sentence. As a result, you should do everything possible to avoid being convicted of a crime and to mitigate the consequences you are facing. To learn how Baltimore criminal defense attorney Randolph Rice can help you, call us today at (410) 431-0911 or send us an email through our online contact form.

1 https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/eligibility/criminal-convictions
2 https://www.uscis.gov/green-card