Do you allow felons who had a drug charge?

Given that public sentiment appears to be shifting on drug legalization, I wonder if you all accept people who have drug-related felonies on their records? Here are a few comments I found interesting from their perspective on a related post:




(Source: www.reddit.com/r/politics/comments/20bcj...f_of_federal_prison/ )

I think fair housing law may be changing within the next few years to allow people who have made mistakes to be eligible to work and live. We will see.

I had an applicant once years ago who was at a party ten years prior to that, where the cops came and arrested everyone there because there were drugs present. The applicant had never used drugs or committed a crime, and didn't know there were drugs in the home where the party took place, but he is forever marked as unemployable and unable to legally obtain housing. In this case, the law was applied wrong.

Another prospect was arrested for assault when a friend punched him on his 18th birthday during high school and he punched him back. Now he's a lifetime felon. He finished college and owns his own business, but he can't rent an apartment.

In cases where criminal histories really do exist, I think it's a bad idea to lump them all together in one neighborhood where they are negatively influenced by their surroundings. Why not let them live in safe neighborhoods where they are influenced by other law abiding citizens?

If a person pays their debt to society, they should be allowed to be a part of society, just like anyone else.

I think the time is quickly coming where Marijuana at least will be legal. The question then becomes, what happens to all the previous felons who had drug-related charges for something that is now legal? I think that property management companies that take an empathetic eye to the situation will have it pay off big. You have a lot of people who have been shut out because of past behavior, and I think they will appreciate a community giving them a shot when others wouldn't.

Still wouldn't allow them. The reason...they broke the law. They knew it was illegal when they did it. If I were at a party and people started smoking crack, I would head for the door.

For me, it's the fact they ignored the law and did what they wanted. I look at this as a behavior pattern that tells whether or not they will ignore my community policies and do what they want or feel like.

If someone has a trespassing charge or a restraining order against them, I won't rent to them because they ignore authority. That's what it's about for me.

Thanks for sharing, Sandy, and I can completely understand your thought process. But here are two concerns of mine: 1) If he/she has paid their debt to society, and it is not a trend, should they be penalized forever? If someone gets a felony for a one-time situation 10 years ago, does it really impact how good of renters they will be today and in the future? 2) It's not completely that they simply broke the law. People break the law all the time, such as speeding. But we allow people who have had a speeding ticket into our communities all the time because it wasn't deemed a felony. So I don't think it is a matter of labeling them law breakers that is causing the problem - it is the felony aspect. And if suddenly the act of drug possession no longer becomes illegal, does it make sense to continue using the same rules ourselves? If society overall has determined it is ok to possess pot, just like a beer, should we still uphold old rules that no longer apply?

Good reasoning on both sides of this dilemma.

My own worst weakness is my faith in humanity that convinces me that everyone has the desire to be "good."

I believe in second chances.

I believe that someone who has paid their debt to society has earned a clean slate.

I believe that anyone who has ever been incarcerated will abide by the law to avoid going back to jail.

I know that I am wrong.

This is why I no longer work for myself but for a higher authority that makes the rules and requires me to uphold them. Because I am a rule follower, and I'm very good at it. I'm also the biggest cheerleader in the world when it comes to encouraging people to do what is right.