The Collateral Consequences of Convictions (Bad Stuff That Happens Outside the Courthouse)

When someone is convicted of a crime, the judge pronounces a sentence. That sentence might include a dose of county jail time, a fine and conditions of probation. So there’s your punishment, right? Well, partially.

Every single criminal conviction carries with it a host of consequence that happen outside of the courtroom, some that are actual Minnesota laws, some that are not. For example, I can’t count the number of times I’ve gotten a call from a panicked driver who says that they pled guilty two weeks ago to going 101 in a 70 and just got a letter saying their driver’s license is suspended for six months. And they always say the same thing: “But the judge didn’t tell me that would happen!”

Understanding Your Sentencing

First, the judge probably doesn’t even know. There are a million ways to lose your license in Minnesota and most judges don’t know half of them. (Any conviction for going over 100 miles per hour results in a six month license suspension.) Those consequences are technically separate from the criminal proceedings and the judge and the public defender aren’t going to tell you about those things, either because they don’t know or because it’s not their problem.

The Importance of Damage Control

From driver’s license loss to firearms loss to vehicle forfeitures to jobs prohibitions, nothing is immune from the consequences of a criminal conviction and nothing is worse than someone who “takes their medicine” in court and then gets a separate governmental ass-kicking they were never told about. A good criminal defense lawyer understands not just what you’re facing in the courtroom, but what you’re facing outside of it (and what to do about it).