When someone is accused of drunk driving, the damage to their personal life and professional reputation can be permanent. There are so many penalties and consequences, both direct and indirect, that involve a DUI charge that the accused person could feel the sting of this punishment for a long time. They may not be able to find a new job or even maintain the one that they have. DUIs are especially punishing for people who have a commercial driver’s license.
Along these lines, let’s talk about background checks and how they can impact someone who has been charged with a drunk driving violation.
In the state of Colorado, for the purposes of employment, an employer must prove the job relevance of a given conviction. There are only a handful of other states that apply this standard to employers.
If someone is charged with drunk driving and someone or an organization performs a background check, the conviction will likely turn up. However, there are limitations to these background checks, and there is also a proactive step that the convicted person can take to clear his or her record.
A DUI expungement can be achieved, which “seals” the person’s conviction. This expungement doesn’t eliminate your conviction — instead, it merely hides it so that you can go on with your life without the burden of a conviction hanging over you at every turn. Though sealed, if you were to commit another crime, your DUI would become unsealed to prove that you have a past conviction.
Source: FindLaw, “DUI and Employment Background Checks,” Accessed Jan. 29, 2016