Employment Consequences of Criminal Conviction in North Carolina

The impact of a conviction on employment, the focus of this article, derives from two specialized areas of law: criminal law and employment law. In deciding how to proceed, people who face criminal charges should understand the potential impact of their decision in both the criminal case and the job market. In dealing with employees and job applicants, employers need to understand the nature of criminal proceedings and their effects. And those concerned with criminal justice issues must consider the impact of employment barriers on recidivism. This article considers the impact of a criminal conviction on different types of employment, the ramifications of a conviction on related matters such as unemployment benefits, and the types of criminal justice determinations that can trigger these consequences.