Portland Criminal Law Blog

When parents of teenagers begin to experience their child's desire to test the limits of what is allowed, they are often faced with the challenge of protecting their children without preventing them from learning some valuable lessons on their own. While parents in Oregon cannot control everything their children do, they can positively influence their choices by working hard to provide them with education about how individual choices have inevitable consequences. 

One curiousity, in particular, that seems to interest teenagers is alcohol and drugs. Parents can play a significant role in reducing their child's involvement in potentially dangerous and harmful activities by empowering them to seek other, more productive choices. Education begins at an early age when parents demonstrate through their own example, how to behave responsibly when drugs or alcohol are present. 

Netflix recently released a new documentary following two crimes in Ada, Oklahoma that occurred in the early 1980’s. The documentary, The Innocent Man provides a well-researched account of a crime that was terribly mishandled by law enforcement and which later revealed corruption within the local justice department.

Details were shared through the lengthy documentary of information withheld from the defense team, failing to pursue possible suspects, and police reports missing vital information, such as dates and names. In fact, two men who were believed to be coerced into giving false confessions were sentenced and later exonerated when DNA evidence proved their innocence over ten years later.

Since you have been released from your time serving behind bars in Oregon, you have been working to rebuild your life and begin to provide for yourself independent of the support of others. One of the first steps you are taking is to find yourself a job that will provide you with opportunities to strengthen your skills, form relationships and make money. Working around your criminal record may seem daunting at first, but with the right strategies and your integrity, you do not have to let your past hold you back. 

If your criminal record comes up during the application process for a job, do your best to remain positive and upbeat. Answer questions honestly and with only as much detail as is needed to provide a satisfactory answer. You can use this as an opportunity to discuss what you learned about yourself, how you used your skills to better yourself during your time behind bars and how you have worked hard since your release to be a better person. 

A recent news article shared with the world the story of John Bunn, who was convicted as a 14-year-old for a robbery and murder he didn’t commit. For 27 years he carried that wrongful conviction before being exonerated in May 2018. According to the article, Bunn has now found success as an entrepreneur. He started a business that provides books and promotes literacy at Rikers Island Prison and in under-resourced communities.

African Americans, like Bunn, make up a disproportionate percentage of those who have been wrongfully convicted. While African Americans represent 13 percent of the United States population, they also represent 47 percent of known exonerations, according to The National Registry of Exonerations.