One thing that not too many people know about me is that i have a criminal record. When i was 18, me and my ex boyfriend were hanging with a group of check writers. They would always come with all kinds of cool stuff. We sorta got caught up in the beauty of it all and decided to try it ourselves. So we got some fake checks and went to Target to try it out. He worked there by the way, so i just went thru his line with the stuff. The first time it worked. I just grabbed somethings that i wanted and wrote a check for it. A couple hours later i came back and grabbed the most expensive thing there to pay out rent. A couple hours later i came to get groceries and left out in hand cuffs. The store manager said we would have gotten away wit it if we werent so greedy to try the same thing 3 times in the same day. I spent 3 days in jail. The guys in my cell were actually cool and made the experience not as bad as it could have been. The judge decided to make an example out of me and give me the max (5 years probation). I dont regret doin it, cause i learned and grew from the experience. I do wish i could take back all the money i had to pay these past 5 years. $100/month for 5 years......you do the math. I also had to complete 120hrs of community service. Out of all that, i feel like i have repaid my debt, but society sees it differently. Not to say that what i did wasnt wrong, but as a result of my mistake, im limited on the jobs i can get, the places i can live, Etc. Every application i fill out asks the same question: "Have you ever been convicted of a felony?" They all say that a "YES" answer is not an automatic disapproval but thats exactly what it is. Noone looks at the fact that it was my first and only offence. They dont care that I was a different person back then and id never do anything that ever again. They dont care that i have dreams and goals that i want to accomplish. They only see one thing "FELON" It seems like for people like me, your expected to pay for your mistake with the rest of your life. Im lucky cause i was givin a deferred ruling so when i finish my probation, which is next month BTW, I can hire a lawyer to remove the felony from my record. No telling how much that will cost. I just wanted to get that out. Maybe someone that reads this is goin thru the same thing and wont feel alone.
