A growing number of people are being arrested at a young age. In fact, a 1967 commission found that about half of American men might be arrested in their lives, for things other than traffic violations. These non-traffic violations, such as drug crime arrests in New York can have devastating effects on people's future career and academic goals.

A newer article published in Pediatrics says that 30 percent of Americans have been arrested by the time they reach age 23, which is up from 22 percent in 1967. These arrests reflect stricter enforcement of crimes. Although these offenses may be illegal, it might not be fair to have a drug crime on your record decades after completing your sentence.

If you only commit a drug crime once, how long should you have to pay for what you did? Some people are paying for crimes they committed one time in the 1980s. Now, they can't find a job because of a mistake they made in college and have never repeated since.

Two thirds of states still allow employers to disqualify candidates for employment based on criminal records alone. Also, some states like New York can deny individuals licensing for certain jobs for the rest of their lives based on their criminal record, making it sometimes impossible to get a new job.

Because drug crime charges in New York can have such a negative impact for years after a conviction, people who find themselves charged with a crime might want to seek out the help of an experienced attorney. A criminal defense attorney can help ensure your rights are protected.

Source: New York Times, "Paying a Price, Long After the Crime," Alfred Blumstein and Kiminori Nakamura, Jan. 9, 2012