The American Bar Association has completed work on a national database that identifies the legal restrictions and prohibitions that individuals convicted of a crime face in addition to the sentence imposed by the court.
The National Inventory of the Collateral Consequences of Conviction, available at www.abacollateralconsequences.org, is an online directory that lists the federal and state laws that restrict employment, housing, education benefits and other opportunities for people with criminal records. According to the ABA, the database can help attorneys give more informed counsel to clients and provide lawmakers, advocacy groups and the public information about the scope of collateral consequences that result from being convicted or pleading guilty.
The ABA noted collateral consequences during the past 20 years have become more numerous, more severe, affect more people and are harder to avoid. Millions of Americans, the ABA asserted, are in legal limbo because at one point in their lives they committed a crime.