I got to spend about 20 minutes talking to a client who came in to fill out an application for Coming Home services. He was a former veteran, who was also disabled. He told me he was having to support his two children, and was having a very difficult time finding work. His disability was hindering –he had lost sight in his right eye –but was not so limiting to prevent him from holding a number of positions. He was polite, articulate, pleasant to speak with, and seemed to have employable characteristics that would set him apart from many of the individuals we see day to day. Yet, he was unemployed and struggling to get by. What really stuck me about it was how damning a criminal history can really be. He said he had made it through the interview process only to be turned down for something that had happened over 15 years ago. I’m not so sure what his criminal history will reveal, but it is incredibly unfortunate how people’s lives are often defined by the worst thing they did in their life. Most people think that once you serve your time the punishment for your offense is over; this gentleman however, is a fine example of how a prison sentence can turn into a life sentence of punishment after the person serves his or her time.