I experienced this. Due to various undiagnosed mental health issues I ended up with a serious record in the UK - a total of 15 charges, all computer related.
Due to the clear lack of malicious intent I didn't serve any time, but did get shackled with: 12 months suspended for 12 months; 10 years on the sex offenders register; 7 years sexual harm prevention order; and 5 years of something else I can't remember.
Every computer I touch - whilst in the UK - should have "monitoring" software installed, which pretty much ruled out any office job, let alone tech.
So after 2 failed suicide attempts and a stay in hospital I decided to completely reinvent myself and start from scratch. Time to hit the big reset button. Legally I have to reveal my convictions ahead of signing a contract in the UK. I got frog-marched out of several buildings by security after the interviews were terminated immediately when I revealed my convictions. I was basically unemployable in the UK and decided to leave and never return. Even after the 10 years is up I am still required to declare "spent convictions" for 5/6 years. This would take me close to my 50th birthday until I no longer have to say anything - 15 years from conviction date.
It took 1 year to "create" a new identity, including complete change of name, severing any connection with friends, and faking an employment history.
I moved abroad with my new identity and hoped for the best... and so far have had an incredibly successful career (post-conviction), and the one thing which has driven me is being good enough that IF my employer learns of my past, they will weigh up what I offer them vs. what I have done in my past.
I remain forever optimistic because _I have to_ . There is no other option.
> Due to the clear lack of malicious intent I didn't serve any time, but did get shackled with: 12 months suspended for 12 months; 10 years on the sex offenders register; 7 years sexual harm prevention order; and 5 years of something else I can't remember.
What did you actually do, and what did they get you for?
> 5 years of something else I can't remember.
Just speaking for myself, I feel like I'd remember something significant like that.
During a manic phase of bipolar I thought I had a great idea to support my application to join the police as a forensic investigator.
Quite ironic really.
Due to the unusual nature of my case the judge excluded from all the usual mandatory courses during probation.
Convictions included "making of, "possession of", "distribution of" (a few others I can't remember) CSAM. A single P2P file ticks all three boxes.
People always assume the above includes "looking at" however that was not the case. I was interested in metadata and had absolutely no desire to see things which cannot be unseen.
The purpose for acquiring the data was not sexual in nature.
But with no context people always think the worst.
I'm okay not knowing the details. I'm not reacting to you or the parent here. I'm just weary of society being compulsively hostile toward redemption. Let the past be there.
The point about being hostile by default is precisely what pushed me towards suicide attempts. Without any context it's very easy to jump to conclusions. Few people consider it might be a zebra not a horse when they hear the sound of hooves.
Some people cannot live with actions they have done; others feel they cannot live with the limited options available in the future. I was the latter.
>The point about being hostile by default is precisely what pushed me towards suicide attempts.
This thread is stale enough I'm going to risk injecting some religion into it.
I've spent most of my life belonging to (some variant of) a faith with redemption at it's core. And yet, our adherents tend to dominate the part of society that 1) dedicates massive resources to thwart redemption and 2) broadly support the eradication of redemption. My analysis has slowly been shifting from our actions are indistinguishable from evil to - according to our own plain and reasonable definition, we're evil.
> Some people cannot live with actions they have done; others feel they cannot live with the limited options available in the future. I was the latter.
I have glimpsed the former and can say it is no metaphor. As to the latter, I'll say I was born at the end of a more reasonable time.
The actions of my youth didn't risk individuals or society in any meaningful way - yet would have imprisoned me for life today. This is entirely because we have become an unreasonable people who have lost our way. We no longer assess risk well because we have given up our sense of proportion.
I don't know how to make any of this better. Just learning how to fathom and elucidate the issue is taking time. Perhaps I'll come across people who can do something with that.
I experienced this. Due to various undiagnosed mental health issues I ended up with a serious record in the UK - a total of 15 charges, all computer related.
Due to the clear lack of malicious intent I didn't serve any time, but did get shackled with: 12 months suspended for 12 months; 10 years on the sex offenders register; 7 years sexual harm prevention order; and 5 years of something else I can't remember.
Every computer I touch - whilst in the UK - should have "monitoring" software installed, which pretty much ruled out any office job, let alone tech.
So after 2 failed suicide attempts and a stay in hospital I decided to completely reinvent myself and start from scratch. Time to hit the big reset button. Legally I have to reveal my convictions ahead of signing a contract in the UK. I got frog-marched out of several buildings by security after the interviews were terminated immediately when I revealed my convictions. I was basically unemployable in the UK and decided to leave and never return. Even after the 10 years is up I am still required to declare "spent convictions" for 5/6 years. This would take me close to my 50th birthday until I no longer have to say anything - 15 years from conviction date.
It took 1 year to "create" a new identity, including complete change of name, severing any connection with friends, and faking an employment history.
I moved abroad with my new identity and hoped for the best... and so far have had an incredibly successful career (post-conviction), and the one thing which has driven me is being good enough that IF my employer learns of my past, they will weigh up what I offer them vs. what I have done in my past.
I remain forever optimistic because _I have to_ . There is no other option.