First Time Felons Need a Second Chance

First Time Felons Need A Second Chance

Felons make up almost sixty-five percent of the Nation’s population. Why? Simply because of the millennium’s new great depression which is on the rise. The economy is at its lowest point to where America’s market is heading towards a dead end. President Obama has funded many corporations and non-profit organizations to help stay afloat during economical hardship. But since so many Americans are losing their homes, cars, employment as well as lifestyle, the crime rate has multiplied tremendously. A bundle of U.S. citizens has a criminal background that contains at least one felony. But is this the end of the road for first time convicts? And why should a criminal background have anything to do with gaining employment? Especially if one mistake was committed, first time felons deserve a second chance.

My cousin Donna was convicted of a felony and she never committed a crime a day in her life. Someone had stolen her identity and used it to make fraudulent activities. After delivering her first born, she was arrested and charged. Her mother hired a lawyer and he could’ve gotten the conviction thrown out, but pleading to the charge was her fastest way to get released. Knowing that her newborn was at her home she went with the program and agreed to her conviction. This is an occurring trend all around the nation. Do to mandatory sentencing and absorbent legal defense fees, plea bargains has become the main stay in the United States criminal justice system. Many defendants plead cases that carry little merit and have shaky evidence due to economic and family circumstances. These cases for most part are never reviewed by the judge accepting the plea. Many defendants at the time of the plea have little understanding of what is being presented and the consequences.

Many states have started review boards to look over cases in which pleas were given to ensure that the defendants were represented fairly. The state of...