BLOOMINGTON - When Kristen Braffet thinks about her future, she sees a college degree and a good job in the field of digital media. | Quick facts: Felony consequences | Re-entering society: One woman's story | Video interview | Unique challenges for students, teachers

But before Braffet can realize her dream, she must overcome the consequences of a bad decision made two years ago when she used a friend's debit card to settle a debt.

The ill-advised choice combined with a previous misdemeanor for shoplifting resulted in a felony conviction for misuse of a credit card.

The 21-year-old Bloomington woman is one of about 1,500 people against whom a felony is filed every year in McLean County. The felony population includes about 391 people released from prison last year to start their lives over in McLean County. Across the state, 33,596 felons were released last year to communities often unprepared to help them rebuild their lives.

For Braffet, two years conditional discharge was the first of several consequences for taking that $60 from her friend. Housing, employment and problems getting student loans are among the challenges the mother of two has encountered since her case ended.

"Since being convicted, I actually had to get fired from my job because it was company policy" at the house cleaning service not to hire workers with felony records, said Braffet, who has worked for about a year at a lower-paying job at a food service business where she is an assistant manager.

Interviews for several promising jobs went well, but when employers learned of her record, she was eliminated from consideration, she said. While she'd like to return to college, she has been turned down for a student loan because of her conviction.

The outgoing brunette wonders when society will consider her debt paid in full.

"It's like they expect people to go to jail, learn their lesson, come out and change. But the minute you come out, you can't change because no one is allowing you to do that," said Braffet.

A house and a job

Housing, employment, health and substance abuse issues and stigma in the community are the major obstacles facing ex-offenders, said Dawn Beichner, a volunteer with Joy Care Center, a Twin City agency that helps inmates with "re-entry."

Employers and landlords frequently roll up the welcome mat when applicants disclose their felony record, she said.

Criminal background checks and the availability of online court records make it difficult for felons to keep their histories a secret from potential employers. Barred from certain public service jobs and those requiring professional licenses, felons are limited in how they can make a living.

Private employers have the option of hiring or rejecting applicants with a felony record. A question commonly included on job applications asks about criminal convictions. Answering that question truthfully is the first hurdle for felons, said retired McLean County Judge Ron Dozier, president of Joy Care.

"That's the dilemma they face: do I start out lying or tell the truth and risk not getting the job?" said Dozier.

Some firms that hire felons do so quietly, said Dozier, because they are concerned customers may not support their decision.

Tara Wilburn completed a manufacturing program at Heartland Community College after serving a felony conviction. She was honest about her background when applying for a job at Caterpillar and hopes to keep the machinist job she's held since May.

"I want to be one of those people who has the same job for 20 or 30 years," said the 20-year-old.

The housing challenge mirrors the employment situation in terms of a landlord's choice to deny housing to felons.

Public housing may not be an option if a person's record includes violent crime, sex offenses or certain drug convictions, said Kim Holman-Short, executive director of the Bloomington Housing Authority.

Many factors are taken into account when determining a person's qualifications for public housing, she added.

"We never tell anyone they would not be eligible. We look at the full application to determine that," she said.

Criminal background checks are conducted for new applicants and repeated annually for residents.

"More and more landlords are looking at those kinds of standards, not only in public housing but other housing as well," Homan-Short said of background checks.

'The Scarlet F'

A Chicago attorney for three former Illinois State University students convicted of beating another student last year said his clients will wear their felony convictions "like a Scarlet F" for the rest of their lives.

The long term consequences of a felony record should be considered by prosecutors, said Bloomington defense lawyer John Prior.

"It's important for prosecutors not to be suspicious of the defense attorney. We get to know the whole person and as a prosecutor you're looking down at a piece of paper, not the person," said Prior.

Mark Messman, McLean County's chief felony prosecutor, said the decision to charge an offense as a felony is made after a review of the facts of a case. Charges may be amended, but it is the policy of the state's attorney's office to keep felony charges at the felony level, he said.

"The line between felony and misdemeanor is the line you don't cross," he said.

Communities expect authorities to take serious crime seriously, said Messman, regardless of the consequences a prison or felony record may have on an individual.

"We have guidelines of certain behavior that won't be tolerated. Whether it's your first time or 50th time, it's going to be a felony," the prosecutor said.

But the consequences of a felony conviction can be disproportionate to the harm caused by the offense, said Assistant Public Defender Brian McEldowney. He recalled an ISU student he represented several years ago who stole several gallons of ice cream from a dormitory kitchen as part of a drunken bet.

"Now perhaps someone so stupid shouldn't be awarded a college degree under any circumstances, but did he really need a felony record? The state's attorney certainly thought so," said McEldowney.

For Dozier, a former prosecutor as well as a judge, helping ex-offenders is a matter of fiscal responsibility as well as compassion. With the cost of housing an inmate in a state prison more than $22,000 a year, taxpayers benefit from efforts to keep ex-offenders from returning to crime and prison, he said.

"Ninety-seven percent of the people we incarcerate will come out. Are they all going to be throw-aways?" he asked.

---

Felony consequences

A felony can impact the following:

Voting: Voting rights are returned after release from prison.

School: Federal student loans are not available for some drug offenses.

Jobs: Private employers can reject applicants and legal guidelines require rejection from professionally licensed positions.

Public housing: Federal rules limit felons with certain drug and sex offenses; private landlords may restrict.

Weapons: Prohibited but procedure exists to regain rights.

Public office: Felons are excluded from holding public office.

Sources: Federal housing and education laws and Illinois Compiled Statutes