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I have been absent from Scouting for about 8 years now. I am an Eaglescout and a brotherhood member of the a order of the arrow. But unfortunately I now have a felony conviction for possession of a controlled substance. I want to get active with Scouting again as part of a plan for turning my life around. My conviction is from 2017 but my charges are from 2013. My crimes are non-violent in nature and were for simple possession.

Is there anything that can be done about this? Or would it be a waste of time for me to even try applying to be a scout leader?

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Nobody here can answer that.  You’re going to have to apply and find out.  I’d sit down for a cup of coffee with the committee chair and explain it all to him, including any steps you’ve taken towards rehabilitation.

Four years is a long time between charge and conviction, it seems.  I’d explain the reason for that, too.

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Wrongfully, Welcome to the forum!

As a COR I have had this conversation with someone before.  As bearess said, I'd want to meet and discuss the situation, preferably not in a scout setting and with a bit of privacy.  I want to see how up front the person is with me about their charges, the circumstances and whether this is the only offense, or if there were others.  The things I want to consider is how old was the person when they committed the offense?  A 19 year old getting a DUI or simple possession is (in my consideration) different than a 40 year old.  I'd want to know if you have completed any kind of treatment program and whether you have completed your probation.  Basically, I am of the mind that humans can, and often do, make mistakes or do stupid things.  I want to see if the person has learned from it and how have they conducted themselves since their conviction.  That said, I am always upfront with them.  If there is any indication that they are going back to old ways or if they are violations of the law (even traffic infractions) I won't hesitate to yank my approval.  However, every COR is going to look at things with a different lens.  Whatever the case, be prepared to be very upfront and honest with them.

Best of luck to you!

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I would be a little concerned about the OP feeling that he had been wrongfully exiled. There was nothing wrongful about his exile. The wrongful thing was his illegal drug use. So long as he continues to present himself as having been the wrongful victim of an exile, rather than the wrongful perpetrator of a crime, I would be very hesitant to take him on as a scout leader. It is not an attitude that I would wish to have taught to my scouts.

His Eagle Scout rank would not be a consideration. 

 

Edited by David CO
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2 minutes ago, David CO said:

I would be a little concerned about the OP feeling that he had been wrongfully exiled. There was nothing wrongful about his exile. The wrongful thing was his illegal drug use. So long as he continues to present himself as having been the wrongful victim of an exile, rather than the wrongful perpetrator of a crime, I would be very hesitant to take him on as a scout leader. It is not an attitude that I would wish to have taught to my scouts.

His Eagle Scout rank would not be a consideration. 

 

I had the same thought, but perhaps his user name is in reference to something else?  I agree, I would be concerned about someone who wasn’t taking responsibility for his actions.

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You need to contact the CO to explain in detail everything. First call is theirs. If they agree to have you, then apply to see if BSA will accept you.

I can tell you this. We had one parent agree to be a DL and was denied because of a 20 year old substance conviction. He was actually being the den leader and we never got word about his acceptance or not until someone looked into it.  The council is suppose to contact both the individual and the charter organization rep (COR). They contacted the COR, but never the individual in question. And the COR never told anyone.

 

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3 hours ago, David CO said:

I would be a little concerned about the OP feeling that he had been wrongfully exiled. There was nothing wrongful about his exile. The wrongful thing was his illegal drug use. So long as he continues to present himself as having been the wrongful victim of an exile, rather than the wrongful perpetrator of a crime, I would be very hesitant to take him on as a scout leader. It is not an attitude that I would wish to have taught to my scouts.

His Eagle Scout rank would not be a consideration. 

 

I'm not saying I was wrongfullyexiled for my Drug use or conviction. Not at all. That's just a screen name that I've used forever. I'm not in any way saying that anything to do with that situation or circumstances was right or not of my own doing.

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And as far as taking responsibility. I accepted the consequences and owned up to my actions. I plead guilty to the offense. I went to state jail and I served my time as well as some extra time due to a clerical error (28 months on a 24 month sentence, not that that is relevant to the issue at hand).

Thank you for the advice. I will talk to the chartered organization rep when I get ready to attempt to rejoin the scouting community.

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I have no knowledge of whether you can get registered again to help in scouting.  But I do have a few comments

- This is relatively recent.  Time needs to pass between the events and now to demonstrate it won't happen again.  It's only been a year since the conviction.  It's relatively recently.  

- Actions have consequences.  Some create valid questions of whether you should work with kids.  I'm not sure if this is one, but it may be.  It is hard to judge without knowing more ... and I don't want to know more.

- You will always be an Eagle scout and have completed your OA brotherhood level.  It defines you and it's something for you to live up to as a person.  You can still live your life by those values.

- There are many, many places you can still volunteer, help, build friendships and create new connections.  Churches.  Community groups.  Parks. 

Be open to new groups and new associations.  If you can't register with BSA, it is not the end of the world and it's hardly the worst thing that can happen to you.   

Edited by fred johnson
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9 hours ago, WrongfullyExiled said:

I'm not saying I was wrongfullyexiled for my Drug use or conviction. Not at all. That's just a screen name that I've used forever. I'm not in any way saying that anything to do with that situation or circumstances was right or not of my own doing.

I stand corrected. Thanks for clearing that up.

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On June 30, 2018 at 1:48 PM, WrongfullyExiled said:

I'm not saying I was wrongfullyexiled for my Drug use or conviction. Not at all. That's just a screen name that I've used forever. I'm not in any way saying that anything to do with that situation or circumstances was right or not of my own doing.

Feedback is a gift. That might not be the best screen name to use anymore, regardless of its meaning with you. 

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