I am a correctional nurse. I have bought alcohol underage, driven drunk and smoked pot. I often think about this during my work now and feel very lucky: had I ever been caught and come into contact with the law, I might not have been able to become a RN and have my current career. In the blink of an eye life could’ve turned out very differently for me.
On the other hand, my husband broke immigration law and was “caught.” Our family now faces a severe (and unjust) penalty because of this. I know of many families who broke the same or similar immigration laws and were not caught; those families are not faced with any life-changing penalties. Although it’s not “criminal” law, I still feel angry that we must suffer when others who have done the same thing don’t.
Because of this, I can only imagine how some of the people I serve in my job would feel if they knew pieces of my past.