10 ms·

While I don't think the offer was at all reasonable, Swartz's career prospects wouldn't have been hurt even a little bit by a felony conviction. He was in a who

While I don't think the offer was at all reasonable, Swartz's career prospects wouldn't have been hurt even a little bit by a felony conviction. He was in a whole different circle of career options.

tonywebster 14y ago
I think person in Aaron's position most definitely would have been impacted by the conviction — a stayed sentence or probation could have included prohibitions on certain work or activities, and it would have made political relationships difficult with policymakers. If there was any amount of a wildcard in the sentencing prospects, it's a bigger deal than just "three months."
- mikec3k 14y ago
  A felony conviction didn't prevent Rick Scott from being elected governor of Florida.
- matwood 14y ago
  I think person in Aaron's position most definitely would have been impacted by the conviction Yeah, in a positive way. Here is a guy that stood up for what he believed in and for the most part had support from other techies. By all accounts he was also a very smart and productive kid. Companies would have been lining up to hire him, if for no other reason than to thumb their nose at the feds.
danielweber 14y ago
Since graduation, I have never ever ever had anyone look into my background to see if I was a felon. It hurts a lot of the working class, where "no ex-felons" is a cheap and legal filter. (If I ever wanted to get a security clearance again it would be an issue -- but obviously Aaron is exactly the person who should not get a security clearance.)
- usefulcat 14y ago
  How sure can you be that no one did a background check on you without your knowledge?
  - waterlesscloud 14y ago
    I'm not 100% sure, but I believe in California at least that you have to disclose to the applicant/employee that you're doing a background check.
- olefoo 14y ago
  > I have never ever ever had anyone look into my background to see if I was a felon. That you know of. But it is the sort of thing that some people do check up on quietly.
- DanBC 14y ago
  Isn't it a standard question on application forms? In England it seems to be? (They don't count some traffic offences.) So, it's possible to lie, but lying is grounds for instant dismissal. (And possibly being sued for breach of contract.) We have something called "Criminal Records Bureau" checking, which is used for anyone working with vulnerable people. (Children, old people, people with mental health problems, people with learning disabilities, etc etc.) There has been a problem with people using these too often (ie, for jobs that don't require them) and rejecting people for convictions that are either very old or that have no relevance.
  - rdouble 14y ago
    The only time I've filled out an application for employment is when I was a teenager and worked at the Dairy Queen. From what I know about the software industry, it's very rare to do a background check unless it's for a position that requires a security clearance.
  - danielweber 14y ago
    It's a typical question on a job application. In the US, about all fast-food jobs have applications. But I've never filled out a "job application" for a software development position. For the kind of jobs that are typical of American readers of Hacker News, employers asking about your arrest record is less likely than them asking where/if you went to college. (There are certain classes of software development jobs where a felony conviction would matter, like defense work.)

While I don't think the offer was at all reasonable, Swartz's career prospects wouldn't have been hurt even a little bit by a felony conviction. He was in a whole different circle of career options.

tonywebster 14y ago

I think person in Aaron's position most definitely would have been impacted by the conviction — a stayed sentence or probation could have included prohibitions on certain work or activities, and it would have made political relationships difficult with policymakers. If there was any amount of a wildcard in the sentencing prospects, it's a bigger deal than just "three months."

mikec3k 14y ago
A felony conviction didn't prevent Rick Scott from being elected governor of Florida.
matwood 14y ago
I think person in Aaron's position most definitely would have been impacted by the conviction Yeah, in a positive way. Here is a guy that stood up for what he believed in and for the most part had support from other techies. By all accounts he was also a very smart and productive kid. Companies would have been lining up to hire him, if for no other reason than to thumb their nose at the feds.

danielweber 14y ago

Since graduation, I have never ever ever had anyone look into my background to see if I was a felon. It hurts a lot of the working class, where "no ex-felons" is a cheap and legal filter. (If I ever wanted to get a security clearance again it would be an issue -- but obviously Aaron is exactly the person who should not get a security clearance.)

usefulcat 14y ago
How sure can you be that no one did a background check on you without your knowledge?
- waterlesscloud 14y ago
  I'm not 100% sure, but I believe in California at least that you have to disclose to the applicant/employee that you're doing a background check.
olefoo 14y ago
> I have never ever ever had anyone look into my background to see if I was a felon. That you know of. But it is the sort of thing that some people do check up on quietly.
DanBC 14y ago
Isn't it a standard question on application forms? In England it seems to be? (They don't count some traffic offences.) So, it's possible to lie, but lying is grounds for instant dismissal. (And possibly being sued for breach of contract.) We have something called "Criminal Records Bureau" checking, which is used for anyone working with vulnerable people. (Children, old people, people with mental health problems, people with learning disabilities, etc etc.) There has been a problem with people using these too often (ie, for jobs that don't require them) and rejecting people for convictions that are either very old or that have no relevance.
- rdouble 14y ago
  The only time I've filled out an application for employment is when I was a teenager and worked at the Dairy Queen. From what I know about the software industry, it's very rare to do a background check unless it's for a position that requires a security clearance.
- danielweber 14y ago
  It's a typical question on a job application. In the US, about all fast-food jobs have applications. But I've never filled out a "job application" for a software development position. For the kind of jobs that are typical of American readers of Hacker News, employers asking about your arrest record is less likely than them asking where/if you went to college. (There are certain classes of software development jobs where a felony conviction would matter, like defense work.)