For crimes both violent and non violent, the penalty your ordered to suffer by the court for your crime is often not as severe as the life long effects of having a felony conviction on your record. Depending on whether your felony was violent or non violent, there are a limited amount of jobs that will hire convicted felons, that is of course if they are made aware of your record. In this article I'm going to discuss the ethical and legal aspects of lying on your job application.
Is lying about your criminal record legal?The answer to this question can change based on the laws of your state but almost always the answer to this question is yes, it's perfectly legal. There are some rare exceptions to this however:
1. Lying when applying for specific government jobs where security and trust is of utmost importance, like the FBI or CIA, is illegal.
2. Lying on an application and signing it when the application is a sworn declaration is illegal. You can identify whether or not this is the case by looking for the words "under the penalty's of perjury" inside the application. Lying in a sworn deceleration is in fact illegal, but don't let that scare you, it's extremely uncommon to see this on a job application.
3. In some exceptionally rare circumstances it can go against you in a civil law suit. This would only occur if you caused harm to your employer and it would likely be mentioned in the law suit. For example, if your employer was alleging that you stole money from the company, they would likely also mention your application lie as a way to damage your credibility.
4. If you are fired based on the lie, it can be used to deny you unemployment insurance payments.
Is lying about your criminal record ethical?There is no universal standard of ethics but here's my opinion on the ethical concern of lying on your application. It's my view that your punishment should end after you pay the penalty for your crime. The life long humiliation and discrimination that convicted felons receive does not fit the legal moral standard of retributive justice, which states that the penalty should fit the crime. It's unfair and inhumane, so why give your employer the opportunity to unjustly discriminate against you? There are countless laws in place to protect those that are discriminated against but why is our society convinced that a felony conviction instantly makes you a horrible person who can't be trusted or relied upon? Lying on your application is not only ethical but your taking the necessary steps to protect your self from unjust discrimination.
There are such a limited amount of employers that will openly provide jobs for convicted felons that lying about your criminal record is often the only way to get a job. As you search for a job though, it's very important that you have something productive you can do to keep you occupied and instills a certain sense of self worth. This can be a hobby or even starting your own business on the side. I have a felony conviction on my record and while job searching I would do surveys online for money. It's a solid way to earn extra money even after you find a job, but more importantly it keeps you busy and makes you feel good about your self.
The best place for convicted felons to earn money on the side is
GPT Infinity.com. It's a 100% free and legitimate survey service that doesn't discriminate based on your criminal record. It only takes about 30 seconds to create a
free account.
By Steven Yon
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Steven_Yon