Can't help breaking the law

LegacyUser

To Whom It MAy Concern,

I was just applying for a new job there recently and I needed a background check for the job. I received the results of the background check today and was turned down for the job. I never thought of myself as a criminal but the background check worried me. I was arrested and charged for assault in 2007, receivd a barring order frm my family home in 2008 and there are charges pendin against me for assaulting two people this year. I have also been involved in drug dealing but was never caught. I stopped taking drugs about 4 years ago. I never really thought I would end up this way in life. I gt 380 points in my leaving cert, was pretty attentive at school and attended college for two years but dropped out. Im just wondering are some people just destined to be criminals? I dont go out intending to break the law but i just do....

Oryx

No, people are not destined to become criminals. That is a cop out that allows you to continue doing what you are doing. We all make concious choices in our lives, and they are not always the easiest choices. So stop telling yourself your criminality is in your genetics or your upbringing. It will be your first step in getting away from it.

You could always look into anger management if your temper is a problem.

ManOfMystery

roast beef wrote: »

I dont go out intending to break the law but i just do....

The other poster put it more eloquently than I could, but I agree with his point - this is a cop out. People don't fall into criminality by accident and become the victim of circumstances - they do it by choice.

You chose to deal drugs. You chose to assault people instead of walking away.

You need to start taking responsibility for your own actions.

By all means, take the easy route in life and do things illegally, but don't be surprised when you hit your 70s and look back on your life with little or no pride in what you achieved, or what effect your actions had on other people.

Assaulting someone does not make you a hard man - any pleb can swing their fist. It's harder to actually control your anger, contain yourself and walk away, so the vast majority of us would have more respect for people who can do that.

Similarly, selling drugs is simply an easy route to make money as there are always going to be those out there who are easily manipulated/led and who will buy the drugs. It's harder to actually take on an honest job, make a success out of it and earn your money that way. But you know what? With all that effort comes far more pride, determination and respect than you'll ever have by dealing drugs.

ClutchIt

It's harder to finish college than to go out and deal drugs. You copped out and got lazy.
You assaulted two people this year? You seriously need to change your ways, that's acting like a scumbag.

Zen65

roast beef wrote: »

Im just wondering are some people just destined to be criminals? I dont go out intending to break the law but i just do....

Nobody's life is pre-destined, but circumstances can make law-breaking more appealing, e.g. if the alternative is starving.

However it seems that your law-breaking history relates to the use of violence, which is probably within your control. Your upbringing has an influence on your use of violence, but does not excuse you for it. Nobody is destined to be violent, least of all in their family home. If a court has determined that you should have a barring order placed against you, then your violence is almost certainly not simply a question of poor luck.

You can choose what to do now. You can wallow in self-pity, pretend that because you looked for a job but were refused because of your past that you cannot ever get a job. You can tell yourself that the only way for you now is a life of crime or dependency upon the state. Neither of these options will make you useful to society, and certainly neither will unleash any of your greater talents.

So start again. Look to do a course with FÁS or some other training agency. Acquire a skill suited to your talents (carpentry, metalwork, plumbing, gardening, whatever else you may be naturally good at) and look for a job in that line of work. Apply yourself diligently in your training, so that you can get a letter of recommendation from the training service. Work on your anger issues, get counselling, or maybe even medication. You will have to work harder than most other people, because you have a criminal record, but a violent past does not condemn you to a violent future.

The choices of your past have put you in the position you are in now. If you want something different for yourself, then make different choices. This obviously includes avoiding the circumstances that have made you violent in the past.

Be at peace,

Z

Moomoo1

Zen65 wrote: »

The choices of your past have put you in the position you are in now. If you want something different for yourself, then make different choices. This obviously includes avoiding the circumstances that have made you violent in the past.

the problem is though that the choices he's made in the past severely limit the choices he can make now. That's the issue here. So he can be whiter than white... and still be barred from many decent jobs out there.

These background checks are a real problem imho. They criminalise people for life and hinder their recovery and re-acceptance into society. I believe that's wrong: you do the crime, do the time and then the slate should be wiped clean.

WellyJ

Moomoo1 wrote: »

the problem is though that the choices he's made in the past severely limit the choices he can make now. That's the issue here. So he can be whiter than white... and still be barred from many decent jobs out there.

These background checks are a real problem imho. They criminalise people for life and hinder their recovery and re-acceptance into society. I believe that's wrong: you do the crime, do the time and then the slate should be wiped clean.

So a child sex offender should be allowed work in a playschool once he does his sentence?

srfc19

ManOfMystery wrote: »

selling drugs is simply an easy route to make money as there are always going to be those out there who are easily manipulated/led and who will buy the drugs.

Many people who take drugs aren't being manipulated/led and actually want to take them.

If I could be guaranteed I could get away with dealing drugs I would do it as there is a large market and it is an 'easy route'.

ManOfMystery

srfc19 wrote: »

Many people who take drugs aren't being manipulated/led and actually want to take them.

If I could be guaranteed I could get away with dealing drugs I would do it as there is a large market and it is an 'easy route'.

Technically everyone willingly on drugs wants to take them. But my point is, for many .... once they get hooked on them it's very hard to get off. And you can't deny that drug dealers exploit this. Perhaps not so much in the case of low grade drugs like weed, but certainly when it comes to the serious stuff like heroin and crack.

We'd all like to make easy money but asides from the illegality of selling drugs, I don't think my conscience would sit well knowing (with regards to the worst cases) I was feeding a habit for some poor emaciated soul living in a filthy bedsit or the like. Or in the less extreme cases, perhaps putting someone on the road to that scenario. Putting aside my need for personal gain, I could always make the same effort and instead try to help that human - a bit of decency goes a long way.

But I say that as someone who watched a heroin user die in front of me on a hospital bed, so I'm somewhat prejudiced against dealers anyway.

srfc19

ManOfMystery wrote: »

Technically everyone willingly on drugs wants to take them. But my point is, for many .... once they get hooked on them it's very hard to get off. And you can't deny that drug dealers exploit this. Perhaps not so much in the case of low grade drugs like weed, but certainly when it comes to the serious stuff like heroin and crack.

We'd all like to make easy money but asides from the illegality of selling drugs, I don't think my conscience would sit well knowing (with regards to the worst cases) I was feeding a habit for some poor emaciated soul living in a filthy bedsit or the like. Or in the less extreme cases, perhaps putting someone on the road to that scenario. Putting aside my need for personal gain, I could always make the same effort and instead try to help that human - a bit of decency goes a long way.

But I say that as someone who watched a heroin user die in front of me on a hospital bed, so I'm somewhat prejudiced against dealers anyway.

Fair point, I just get the feeling that he wasn't dealing heroin and it was more the low grade drugs which I would just see as exploiting an oppurtunity in a marketplace.

Obviously, when it comes to the harder stuff you are just exploiting people.

Fol20

You should take some anger management classes or better yet,why not try kickboxing or just plain boxing to relieve some stress,great way to get out the anger without getting into trouble;)

tenchi-fan

You're not destined to be a criminal. You just.. how to put it nicely..you may have got 380 points in your leaving but you're not very bright.

The 2007 incident might have been forgiven and I'm not even sure if your employer would have found out about the 2008 barring order. I know plenty of people who left college. The drug dealing is also a non-issue, as you weren't caught and you don't do it any more.

What makes you unemployable is that you're going around assaulting people. Time heals all wounds and in time you can put these charges behind you. For the moment you just need to keep out of trouble.

CDfm

OP - have you had any convictions or unpaid court judgements. Check the facts and are the details yours that were concidered.

You were arrested and charged but did it go to court ? barring orders are in the family law courts so they would have only come into play if you had breached them and been convicted. Getting arrested in itself will not show up.

Were you given the results of the check and what exactly did it say. I just wonder if it is correct because if it isn't and they have made a mistake then who knows.Do you owe money etc and have judgements against you for unpaid bills ? So dealing with money a credit check could be important and it can be a check againts your address.

Do you know the reason and is it true. Have it checked and if you have a solicitor discuss it with them. Did you lie on your CV. I know a guy whose conviction was for "taking his pony from the pound one night" and it was a youth thing and it showed up. He wrote in to the employer and explained the situation and was employed.

On your assault charges etc. What are you doing that gets you into these scrapes. Do you drink too much or hang around with people that get you into these situations. Is there a pattern of events or locations that gets you there.

What types of incidents occur that get you in there.So if it is say- I always go baloobas after tequila then give up tequila or if i hang with Tommy he drags me into problems with doormen then drop Tommy. If its nightclubbing -then dont go nightclubbing

It is probably time for you to do a lifestyle change for you.

fionav3

Hi OP. Sounds like you really want to make some changes in your life and that's a good thing. I commend you for that. However, changes start with taking responsibility for your actions and that's hard. None of us like admitting when we've done something wrong but often just by admitting we've done wrong, it takes a weight away and we can start afresh. You've made some fairly bad choices so far in life, that much is obvious, but that doesn't mean you're destined for a life of crime. You can change anything if you want it badly enough. If you have a temper, someone mentioned anger management and that is a very good idea. You got a good leaving so there's nothing to stop you going back to college and finishing your course or doing a FAS course or something because you obviously have brains. The question is, will you use those smarts to work hard or fall back into your old ways? Don't fall into the trap of thinking your background and home life make you who you are and you can't change that. While it's true that our circumstances can influence our decisions/actions, it is our choices that make us what we truly are. You sound like someone who wants to change so go for it! It might be hard sometimes but by the end of it you'll be glad you did. And I for one would do nothing but admire someone who may have started a life of crime but had the strength of character to make the changes needed to their life to become an honest, hard working individual and I think most people would feel the same. If you can prove that you really want to change then I'd bet there are alot of people out there willing to give you the chance. You just have to start the hard groundwork yourself.

Good luck!

WesternNight

WellyJ wrote: »

So a child sex offender should be allowed work in a playschool once he does his sentence?

Of course not, that would increase the chances of re-offending. But the chance of employment in general shouldn't be withheld as that also increases the chances of re-offending.


Anyway OP, as others have said, you're not at the mercy of genetics or destiny. You have as much control over the course of your life as you want to have, really. There's nothing you can do about your record now, but you take steps to prove that that's behind you and someone will give you a chance.

pwd

Stop hitting people.

Do some community or charity work.

Don't say that you used to deal drugs on a public Website, when you are already facing other charges.