From job loss to reduced work and housing opportunities and social stigma, these are just a few ways criminal offenses can impact one's professional and personal life. If background checks reveal a criminal history, employers and landlords can reject applicants, even if it's only a charge, not a conviction.
With criminal charges and convictions having a long-lasting legal impact, it's best for defendants to better understand their life-changing consequences. Even more so for people in the U.S., given the country's high incarceration rate.
As the non-profit human rights organization Equal Justice Initiative reports, the U.S. has the highest incarceration rate of any independent democracy worldwide, with over two million people locked up in jails.
What Exactly Do Criminal Offenses Mean?
Criminal offenses are acts that violate laws on the federal, state, or municipal level. They can either be felonies (the most severe) or misdemeanors (less severe).
Offenses can also be "infractions," but they don't constitute crimes under the penal code. They don't lead to jail time but often come with hefty fines as penalties.
Which jurisdiction handles criminal offenses depends on several factors, including:
- Whether the act involved interstate activity
- The nature of the law violated
- The severity of the violation
- Where the crime happened (e.g., if it occurred interstate or on federal land)
Municipal Courts
Municipal courts usually handle most cases of low-level crimes such as petty theft or shoplifting. They also deal with traffic misdemeanors, such as driving under the influence (DUI) that doesn't cause any damage or injury and doesn't involve excessively high blood alcohol concentration (BAC).
State Courts
State courts handle more severe criminal offenses like violent crimes (e.g., assault and battery) and property crimes (e.g., robbery and arson). They also typically hear and process criminal driving offenses like DUI and reckless driving that cause significant:
- Property damage
- Non-fatal injuries to one or more people
- Fatal injuries or death
Criminal offenses handled by state courts are the most common.
eCourtDate, a data portal for the justice system, cited figures from the National Center for State Courts, saying state and local courts handle around 66 million cases per year. It represents 98% of all U.S. court filings. It also noted recent figures showing yearly state court filings at about 70 million.
Federal Courts
Federal courts deal with criminal offenses involving multiple states and crimes committed on or against federal land and workers. Depending on the specifics, they may also play a role in handling cases that involve U.S. citizens having committed crimes on international borders.
What Is the Most Common Criminal Offense?
In the U.S., property crimes are the most common criminal offenses.
The FBI's Crime Data Explorer notes that in 2025, one violent crime occurred every 28.2 seconds, whereas it was every six seconds for property crime. Larceny-theft was the most common property crime (one every 8.1 seconds), while it was robbery for violent crimes (one every 3.1 minutes).
How Can Criminal Offenses Affect Your Long-Term Employment and Personal Background?
Criminal convictions can already lead to immediate financial consequences. The penalties vary, but they can include substantial fines, as this page exploring the services of an assault and battery defense lawyer in Greenwood, SC, notes.
Consequences for convictions for criminal offenses don't stop at fees, though; they also carry lifelong financial, professional, and personal implications. They can affect long-term employment, relationships, and reputation.
Job Loss
Private employers with "at-will" employment relationships don't have to wait for a conviction. They can terminate any employee for any lawful reason.
An example is an employer firing an employee who's exhibited short-temperedness on one or two occasions and then being charged with criminal assault and battery.
Employment Barriers
Criminal offenses are one of the first things that come up during employment screening protocols. Employers can reject applicants with a criminal history (even if it's just a charge, not a conviction) if the conduct behind their offense makes them unfit for the job role.
Employers may reject the application of a commercial driver with a recent DUI charge for a driving position, for instance.
Reduced Housing Opportunities
Housing is another area that having records for criminal offenses can impact.
In a February 2025 article, the Prison Policy Initiative noted that, per their count, as many as 3 million people with criminal convictions find it difficult to secure housing. Individuals with drug-related convictions are an example.
Social Stigma
People charged with or convicted of criminal offenses, regardless of the severity or nature of the offense, often live life stigmatized by society. Others label and stereotype them, automatically assuming they are:
- A danger to society
- Unworthy of trust
- Likely to recidivate (commit another crime)
- Not deserving of a second chance
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do Criminal Offenses Differ From Civil Offenses?
Unlike civil offenses, which are primarily private disputes between individuals or businesses over money, property, or rights, criminal offenses harm society. Governments file criminal charges, whereas private individuals or entities pursue a civil lawsuit.
The verdict for civil offenses is usually either "liable" or "not liable." In criminal cases, it's either "guilty" or "not guilty."
Penalties for civil offenses are also more monetary. In most cases, courts require liable defendants to compensate victims financially as a form of injunction. With criminal offenses, fines are just one of the many penalties, with imprisonment being a more severe punishment.
Are Criminal Records Forever?
Yes, criminal offenses, even charges successfully dropped or dismissed with the help of a felony or misdemeanor defense lawyer, will stay on record for life. The only way to have them "disappear" from public records is to file for record expungement.
Record expungement is when a court orders the legal destruction or sealing of a criminal record. Once completed, this record will no longer be available for public access or viewing.
In most situations, a person with an expunged criminal record can legally say that their arrest or charge has never occurred.
Prevent Charges for Criminal Offenses From Dictating Futures
Criminal offenses, even those that are still at the "charge" phase, can already impact a person's long-term financial, employment, and personal future. Seeking professional legal help, therefore, should be one of the first steps defendants should consider taking to protect their rights and interests.
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