August 2013:NIJ-funded database provides interactive resource on federal and state collateral consequences.
Criminal conviction brings with it a host of sanctions and disqualifications that can place an unanticipated burden on individuals trying to reenter society and lead lives as productive citizens. The impact of these "collateral consequences" is often discussed in the context of offender reentry, but they attach not only to felonies and incarcerated individuals but also to misdemeanors and individuals who have never been incarcerated. Collateral consequences tend to last indefinitely, long after an individual is fully rehabilitated.
Many collateral consequences affect a convicted person's employment and business opportunities; others deny access to government benefits and program participation, including student loans, housing, contracting and other forms of participation in civic life.
The Court Security Improvement Act of 2007 directed NIJ to carry out a national survey of collateral consequences. Through a competitive process, NIJ awarded a grant to the American Bar Association (ABA) to undertake the comprehensive, systematic collection of the collateral consequences of conviction for both state and federal offenses in each of the 50 states, the U.S. territories and the District of Columbia. ..continued.. by Sarah B. Berson
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