Convicted felon and FCC license

[radio259]

Few years ago, I was doing FCC licensing for my employer. We had a customer get denied a license as he was a convicted felon.

Does this also hold true for HAM radio?? I know of two, both incarcerated for felonies who both renewed there license while in prison.

Any insight???

 

[kf8yk]

Felonies must be disclosed but are not an automatic denial. Amateur Radio license grants to felons are on a case-by-case basis.

Revised FCC Form 605 Will Ask Applicants “the Felony Question”

The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) is the national association for amateur radio, connecting hams around the U.S. with news, information and resources.

www.arrl.org

 

[W8TRK]

Felonies must be disclosed but are not an automatic denial. Amateur Radio license grants to felons are on a case-by-case basis.

http://www.arrl.org/news/revised-fcc-form-605-will-ask-applican

just say no .. they don't bother to check.

 

[AK9R]

just say no .. they don't bother to check.

Are you speaking from experience?

Do you have anything to back up your claim that the FCC doesn't check?

Do you know what the penalty is for falsifying an FCC application?

 

[trentbob]

There have been cases were prosecutors have reported who they knew were hams to the fcc after they were convicted of a crime and they lost their ticket.

 

[sloop]

The FCC does rule on a case by case basis. A lot depends on type of felony (state or federal), what the conviction was for, and how long ago was the conviction. I'm sure that there are other factors that they consider. I have a friend that was honest on his application and was granted his license. He now has an extra class license.

 

[prcguy]

I know of a convicted child molester who has an extra class and the ham club he joined found out and asked him not to attend meetings as its occasionally at a school and the club has kids attending. He used to be on a local HF net until the net controller found out and told him he's not welcome on the net any longer. Should this guy have a ham license, which gives him access to children at various amateur events?

 

[wa8pyr]

I know of a convicted child molester who has an extra class and the ham club he joined found out and asked him not to attend meetings as its occasionally at a school and the club has kids attending. He used to be on a local HF net until the net controller found out and told him he's not welcome on the net any longer. Should this guy have a ham license, which gives him access to children at various amateur events?

Interesting philosophical question, but kind of a slippery slope. Where does it end with convicted felons? Do we start cutting off everybody who was convicted of a felony even though they've completed their sentence and are once again a productive, law-abiding member of society?

If he completed his sentence, in theory he's clean and there's no reason he can't be granted a ticket. However, since pedophilia is one of those things that's notoriously difficult to treat, levying attendance restrictions on someone who was convicted of it and is presumably on the sex offender list could come into play. He's going to come into contact with kids through daily life at one point or another, so where do you draw the line? Banning the guy from an on-air net where there's no in person contact seems a bit extreme, especially since someone getting pervy about kids on the radio would be immediately obvious. Remember, ham radio could be part of the rehabilitation process; if you give the person something to do that keeps his (or her) mind off what they were convicted of, it's less likely that they would re-offend.

 

[prcguy]

Hmm, you commit a crime, get caught then get thrown in the slammer full of people that make you look like a saint. Except for a handful of institutions that are known for some kind of rehabilitation, you mingle with hardened criminals, learn their crafts and when your hard time is complete your ejected back into society with no rehabilitation, no direction and a hatred for authority and the system that put you there. More than likely you will be incarcerated again soon. That's the typical cycle. Any questions?

\

Where does it end with convicted felons? Do we start cutting off everybody who was convicted of a felony even though they've completed their sentence and are once again a productive, law-abiding member of society?

 

[cmjonesinc]

That's the typical cycle. Any questions?

Can you cite a credible source with these recidivism rates?

 

[wa8pyr]

Hmm, you commit a crime, get caught then get thrown in the slammer full of people that make you look like a saint. Except for a handful of institutions that are known for some kind of rehabilitation, you mingle with hardened criminals, learn their crafts and when your hard time is complete your ejected back into society with no rehabilitation, no direction and a hatred for authority and the system that put you there. More than likely you will be incarcerated again soon. That's the typical cycle. Any questions?

Like I said, interesting philosophical issue, and also a pretty sad commentary on the state of our institutions; to this day, the general American mindset leans toward punishment rather than rehabilitation and redemption. Another part of the problem is the individual who makes a genuine effort toward rehabilitation while inside, but when they get back out on the street they're more often than not thrown right back into the environment that led them to offend in the first place, and faced with employers who are reluctant to hire a convicted felon because they automatically assume they'll offend again. Given those circumstances is it any surprise the recidivism rate is what it is?

Can you cite a credible source with these recidivism rates?

Been awhile since I actually looked at the data, but if I recall correctly, recidivism rates were quite dependent upon the environment facing the former felon when they got out of the slam. People who went back to a white collar neighborhood with lots of opportunity and community support were far less likely to re-offend than the poor guy who goes right back to the slums with limited support and limited opportunity.

 

[bill4long]

Are you speaking from experience?
Do you have anything to back up your claim that the FCC doesn't check?
Do you know what the penalty is for falsifying an FCC application?

Given that the FCC has access to NCIC, it probably isn't worth a possible Federal perjury charge for lying on an application.

 

[trentbob]

Can you cite a credible source with these recidivism rates?

The Nightly News in dozens and dozens of cities across our country, every single day of the year, they're just reading press releases from the cops that say the doer of the violent crime was out on low bail for recently committing another violent crime and has a rap sheet of a lifetime of violent crimes, have to live in a cave not to see that, lol.

We are talking about ham operators here...

I think that's the reason the FCC makes individual decisions case-by-case. They are the ultimate licensing authority so their word goes.

If the club wants to restrict someone, I guess that's their right, especially if they have valid reasons.

 

[KB4MSZ]

In this case the FCC revoked a ham license for a 17-year-old conviction, despite a ruling from an ALJ that the license should be upheld.

FCC Reverses ALJ’s Decision, Revokes Convicted Sex Offender’s Amateur Radio License (arrl.org)

 

[MississippiPI]

Goodness gracious. That question got alot of attention.

Merry Christmas

 

[prcguy]

People I know or knew who went through the process.

Can you cite a credible source with these recidivism rates?

 

[cmjonesinc]

People I know or knew who went through the process.

So we can conclude from your sample group that most people are repeat offenders. My what a scientific process to come to such a "typical" conclusion. Most people I know like the color green. Therefore it's typical for all people to like the color green. This nonsense should have been moved to the tavern.

 

[prcguy]

Ok here is some data and it appears that about 75% of people incarcerated are arrested again within 5yrs and over 50% are incarcerated again. I think that agrees with the people I know who went through the process and for me that concludes that most people are repeat offenders. BTW, green is not my favorite color.

So we can conclude from your sample group that most people are repeat offenders. My what a scientific process to come to such a "typical" conclusion. Most people I know like the color green. Therefore it's typical for all people to like the color green. This nonsense should have been moved to the tavern.

 

[cmjonesinc]

Well to keep a bit more on the original subject, are these arrest statisics from 3/5 of the country and 16 years ago for felony convictions alone?

 

[prcguy]

I quickly scanned through the document and it doesn't specify but the vast majority of crimes mentioned are felonies. I think someone needs to do a study that includes the number of amateur radio operator felons and their repeat offenses and how many got their licenses yanked.

Well to keep a bit more on the original subject, are these arrest statisics from 3/5 of the country and 16 years ago for felony convictions alone?