Illinois Drug Felony Convict Battles for Job and Wins
Drug convictions can haunt you long after the court dates are over and visits with a probation officer are long since passed. One man, convicted of possessing less than a gram of cocaine over 25 years ago knows this all too well. But, according to the Chicago Tribune he’s battled the powers that be, those that meant to keep him away from the job he wanted, and he won.
Darrell Langdon wanted a job with the Chicago Public Schools. He had worked for CPS before, as a boiler room foreman. Originally hired in 1981, he worked for the schools for 14 years, until 1995.
During the time he worked for CPS, Langdon was convicted of possession of cocaine in 1985. It was a felony charge but one that his employer sought to work with him on—sending him to rehabilitation through the employee assistance program.
He wouldn’t leave the school system until 1995 when he was laid off. From there he worked as a mortgage broker until 2008.
In August of 2008, Langdon once again threw his hat in to work for the Chicago Public Schools, this time as a boiler engineer. He interviewed three times and tested for CPS who informed him he was hired pending a background check. Though he had disclosed his record on the original application, CPS rescinded their job offer after the background check came back.
Since that original application in the summer of 2008, Langdon has fought for the job he said he knew he was right for. From interviewing with the Tribune, to enlisting the help of Cabrini Green Legal Aid, Langdon really went the extra mile.
Just this past month, the school reconsidered and determined he was eligible. Although CPS is allowed to keep some people from working within the system (violent felons, etc.), they determined Langdon’s relatively minor conviction, which happened to be a quarter-century old, shouldn’t keep him away from a job they would have otherwise hired him for months ago.
Not everyone with a felony conviction on their record is so lucky. Many people who have to disclose these sorts of things on their applications feel like they are the last kid selected on the kick-ball field, if they’re ever chosen at all.
Disclosing convictions on a job application is just one of the many negative results of battling the courts and losing. The best thing you can do is fight to have a conviction on your record in the first place.
Whether you are facing misdemeanor drug charges of even a violent felony—we can help. Contact our attorneys today for a consultation.
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