Advice about CASPA and misdemeanors

[edev17]

I am currently applying to PA school this cycle through CASPA and the part of the application that mentions "have you ever been convicted of a misdemeanor" is really starting to frighten me. I have already E-submitted my application and checked the box for NO. I received a MIC (minor in consumption) four years ago and received a jay walking ticket about a year ago. With the MIC I completed deferred disposition and from my understanding the case was "dismissed." With the jaywalking ticket I payed my fine and did probation, which also means this ticket was dismissed.

 

So I guess what I am worried about is the question being asked on the CASPA application. As far as being convicted, I have talked to people in the courthouse in which I handled my tickets and they have told me that I was NOT convicted, which is why I chose NO to that specific question on CASPA.

 

If the question had asked if I had ever been CHARGED with a misdemeanor then I would have chosen YES, as some of the supplemental applications did ask in which I did say YES and explained.

 

I guess I just don't want to look like I am lying during a background check and then have any potential acceptance offers rescinded.

I also am eligible to expunge both of the tickets but I am sure it will cost me an arm and a leg so I don't want to spend the money if it is not necessary.

 

Hopefully someone has some advice on this situation and thank you in advance!

[beano]

if you were never convicted then you can answer "no" to the convicted questions. same with "charged" questions.

 

fwiw - i was charged but never convicted, the charge is on my background check, I never mentioned it on my app, they never asked about it during the interview, and the only time it ever comes up is when we go on vacation and my advisor tells me not to do anything that will get me arrested.

[SO4683]

Conviction: a formal declaration that someone is guilty of a criminal offense, made by the verdict of a jury or the decision of a judge in a court of law.

 

If you paid a fine of any kind then, yes, you were convicted. Don't let legalese trip you up. You don't have to lose a case in court with a jury and lawyers and witnesses and such to be convicted. If you get a traffic citation and pay the fine by mail without every stepping foot into a courthouse that is a conviction whether it stays on your record or not. Of course, traffic citations are civil offenses, not misdemeanor crimes, but the concept is still the same and I chose that example for simplicity to illustrate the point. MIC is a misdemeanor, jaywalking may or may not be depending on the jurisdiction in which it was written. I am suspect of the "people in the courthouse" you mentioned. That could mean anything from attorneys to receptionists to other defendants. They have no stake in your situation and will give you any answer to get you to walk away. Find an actual law enforcement officer, heck, find the one that wrote you the ticket and ask them to look it up. Any police officer can give you a definitive answer by using their radio or their in car MDT in under a minute (if you are in the state you were charged in).

 

My advice: don't lie - it will not end well. Why would you be concerned over an MIC or jaywalking to begin with? They are not asking you if you have ever committed homicide. Put it in the correct perspective. Just be honest and give a follow up explanation. Poor grades or unfinished prerequisites will get you rejected exponentially ahead of a simple, inconsequential misdemeanor. Unfortunately, it appears as though advice may be too late for you as you have already submitted which makes me wonder what kind of advice you are looking for. If you are wanting someone to say what you did was okay, then as a former police officer I am not the one you are looking for.

 

If, in fact, you were convicted, and it sounds like you were, and it does come up on a background check then you won't "look like" you are lying - you did lie.

[edev17]

SO4683,

Thanks for the advice but the fact is I did go to a court for both citations, and completed the required steps (deferred disposition and probation) in order for both cases to be dismissed, which is not a conviction. And I ended up getting an attorney who told me that I was fine how I answered the questions on CASPA and that I indeed was not convicted of anything. So thanks for you input but-I did not lie. In any case I just paid my lawyer to have them both expunged so I won't ever have to worry about it legally in the future. The "people in the courthouse" were indeed the receptionists or what not, but I figured I would play it safe anyways by talking to a lawyer. I was just looking for quick legal advice or for people who had a similar experience. I've been accepted to two schools already and I asked them the same questions and they said I was fine, and 8 more interviews to go! So, in fact, I was NOT convicted, as it doesn't sound like I was, and now it will be expunged from my background, and not only does in not look like I am lying, I didn't lie. Thanks for your "advice."

[MedicinePower]

I would recommend you ask a lawyer. This isn't the best forum to receive legal advice, however well-meaning it is.