zlacker

>>RBBron+(OP)
This really bums me out.

I was a convicted felon at 18 years old, poor, living on the street.

It wasn't any government re-integration program that helped me, it was a random person I met in highschool.

I worked my way through everything -> college -> jobs -> startups -> lucky windfalls -> owning my own company. I've immigrated to Europe (3 times in the last 10 years technically), beating the legal issues each time.

And finally, after 17 years, I'm no longer a felon thanks to a pardon and expungement.

I really wish something like 70MR would stay up. Not everyone can be as lucky as me. Is there some place I can donate?

>>buf+Ta
Emigration honestly is the most logical option for a felon. A few nations will accept local background checks in the immigration process, so if you move to a state where you don't have a record you can just get your police report from a place where your record is clean.

Another option is to go live in a Compact of Free Association nations such as Micronesia or Marshall Islands. US citizens are authorized to live and work there without a visa, so once you live overseas there for a few years you can immigrate to most other nations using the background check from your country of prior residence, which is now a country where you have a clear background.

>>notch6+Nc
It also opens up an opportunity to hit the big reset button of life. A new country, new culture, new friends and even new languages in many cases.

People have the opportunity to become a new person, and it's not just those with a criminal past either. Perhaps those who have experienced persecution can also start a new chapter in a safer environment.

>>compre+ve
In my case it was a credit score. I was in a bad motorcycle accident at 19, I defaulted on every loan at the time (vehicle + credit cards + medical debt) while I was busy learning how to walk again. 15 years later, I still couldn’t get a credit card for more than $250, told no to getting a mortgage even with a VA loan, etc. My credit score couldn’t get higher than 600 even after those defaults fell off my record. Now, I live in Europe and am trusted with thousands of Euros in debt if I want it. I can get a house without any issues…

That’s a fresh start that just simply was impossible in the US.

>>within+E91
After 7 years your credit history should be empty. So likely you couldn’t get loans for lack of credit history. There is also no such thing as a VA vehicle loan. Many of us went through this same thing in 2012.

>>tekkni+Bf2
It wasn’t empty, but apparently only having credit limits of less than a few thousand dollars when you are making over a hundred k a year is a red flag. Also, just because you don’t see the negative things in your credit report doesn’t mean it still doesn’t affect your score. The US credit system is all kinds of fucked up. I’m glad I don’t have to deal with it anymore.

>>within+GM2
> The US credit system is all kinds of fucked up. I’m glad I don’t have to deal with it anymore.

There is a law requiring the removal of debts over 7 years old. The only “report” that it would stay on is with an internal report with the specific bank.

>>tekkni+9F5
The missing caveat from my personal experience is that this was all years ago. Things are probably different these days, especially after the recession.