On October 16, 2012 Reentry Centralposted an article on a new tool that listed the collateral consequences associated with a conviction of a multitude of crimes in several states. Launched by the American Bar Association with the goal of including collateral consequence data in every state, the National Inventory of the Collateral Consequences of Conviction is a valuable resource for those in the criminal justice system.
In the newest issue of the National Institute of Journal Sarah B. Benson writes:
“The Inventory can serve as a first-stop resource for judges, defense counsel and prosecutors, allowing them to quickly locate the significant details of relevant collateral consequences. This, in turn, will allow lawyers and their clients to consider these consequences as part of criminal proceedings. It will also allow lawyers to help clients living with the adverse effects of a criminal record long after the case is over.
Legislators, policymakers and researchers also can use the database to:
Study trends and patterns in the collateral consequences of convictions.
Examine restrictions and compare them across states to decide whether a proposed new law is necessary and whether it deviates significantly from similar restrictions imposed in other jurisdictions.
Determine changes that can improve a convicted offender's chance of rebuilding his or her life and desisting from crime.
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