NCJ Number
252073
Date Published
April 2013
Length
21 pages
Annotation
This report poses and answers frequently asked questions contained in the User Guide for the National Inventory of the Collateral Consequences of Conviction.
Abstract
The Inventory is the first effort to collect in one place the collateral consequences of convictions that stem from the laws and regulations of each state and federal jurisdiction. Collateral consequences are the penalties, disabilities, or disadvantages imposed upon a person as a result of a criminal conviction, whether automatically by operation of law or by authorized action of an administrative agency or court on a case-by-case basis. In the current report, the posed questions about the Inventory are divided into categories according to the subjects addressed. The first six questions are classified as "introductory" and address such issues as the definition of "collateral consequences," the difference between a direct and a collateral consequence of a conviction, and the features of the Inventory and how it can be used. Another section of four questions pertains to the Inventory database. This section addresses such topics as how collateral consequences are identified and included in the database and how to determine which collateral consequences result from a particular conviction. A third category of questions contains five that address website search features and how to conduct various types of searches. The last category of questions addresses "miscellaneous" issues regarding the Inventory. Among the issues addressed by these questions are whether the website can recommend attorneys that specialize in issues related to collateral consequences of a conviction, how a person can get relief from a collateral consequence of a conviction, whether collateral consequences of a conviction will apply if the affected person moves to another state, and how to obtain more information about the Inventory.