When you’re facing a criminal charge, you know that you’re facing serious penalties and consequences. What you may not realize is that a criminal conviction also impacts your loved ones. Here are 5 ways that breaking the law can impact your loved ones:
It Drains Family Resources
When you’re convicted of a crime, there are lots of ways that it drains your finances. You may have to pay fines and costs to the court. You may owe the victim restitution. The court may order you to take drug or alcohol testing at your own expense. If you’re on probation, you may have to pay a supervision fee for the privilege. These expenses are sure to place a burden on the family budget.
It Can Interrupt Vacations
Court dates and probation appointments aren’t negotiable. Your probation orders may prevent you from leaving the state without court permission. You may have regular drug testing and counseling appointments. All of this can interrupt family plans.
You May Lose Your License
Many criminal convictions come with a driver’s license suspension. Even some crimes that you may not expect like drug offenses can bring an automatic license suspension. Losing your license can mean losing your ability to take your family where they need to go. You may also need to depend on loved ones to get to work or mandatory probation appointments.
They May Have to Go to Court
When crime occurs, your family members may be witnesses. The state attorney can send them a subpoena to require them to come to court. You may also need your loved one to come to court to testify for you. Either way, this can create stress for your family members.
They May Learn From You
Your children take their cues from you. If they see you breaking the law and suffering the consequences, they might think that it’s okay to do the same thing. Your children see and learn from you. If you commit crime, they may learn from your behavior and commit crimes too.
What Can You Do?
If you’re facing criminal charges, you have to make a plan for your best interests. One of the things that you need to consider when you’re making your plan is how the charges impact your family. If you contact an attorney for help, they can help you explore your options to minimize the impact of the charges on you and your loved ones.
