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Certificate Of Qualification For Employment

What is a Certificate of Qualification for Employment (CQE)?  A CQE is an order from the common pleas court in the county in which you reside that allows to apply for employment or a professional license even if your conviction may have disqualified you in the past.  Many employers exclude convicted felons as potential job candidates.  This makes it even more difficult for a convicted felon to re-integrate himself or herself into society.  A CQE can provide the employer the assurance needed to give someone a chance.

Certificate Of Qualification For Employment By Daniel Gigiano

 

Eligibility starts one year after completion of a felony sentence or six months after completion of a misdemeanor sentence.  Unlike the expungement laws, there is no limit on the number of convictions you may have in order to apply for a CQE.  However, the CQE only applies to Ohio convictions.  The application starts online with the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction (ODRC).  Once your application is complete, the ODRC will send you an email letting you know that you may file your CQE application in the common pleas court located in the county in which you live.  Be prepared to pay a filing fee to the clerk of courts.  The court then reviews the application and undergoes an investigation, which includes contacting the courts where you were convicted, the prosecuting attorneys for those cases and victims.  In order for the court to grant a CQE application, it must find that the order would assist the applicant with employment or an occupational license, that the applicant needs it to live a law-abiding life, and the applicant does not pose an unreasonable risk to any individual or the public.  The order is valid as long as the applicant is not convicted of another crime.  The order provides protection to employers from negligent hiring claims if they hire someone with a CQE.

A CQE cannot cure everything.  It cannot be used to reinstate a suspended driver’s license, nor can it cancel sex-offender registration requirements.  There are many instances where a license in the medical field cannot be reinstated with a CQE.  A CQE cannot remove restrictions on getting a job as a police officer.

How To Apply For A Certificate of Qualification for Employment

 

Get an online application here.  Review the Ohio Justice and Policy Center materials here.  Review the materials from ODRC here.  Look at the actual Ohio Revised Code for CQE here.

Criminal Law Articles 

 

To learn more, read my other related posts, where I wrote about adult sentences in juvenile cases, factors affecting an agreed sentence, reduction in maximum prison terms for some offenses, ways to avoid going to jail, jail time credit, changes to Ohio DUI laws, felony theft, Ohio shoplifting laws, and expunging convictions. I have successfully defended individuals for both misdemeanor and felony offenses, as set forth in the case highlights section. My hard work and results are reflected in the positive reviews from my clients: Daniel Gigiano reviews; Daniel Gigiano ratings; and Daniel Gigiano work.

Call Now To Speak With A Medina Criminal Defense Attorney 

 

Attorney Gigiano is a Medina criminal defense attorney in Wadsworth.  If you have questions about this or other questions you need answered by an experienced Wayne County criminal defense lawyer in Wadsworth, please call Attorney Daniel F. Gigiano at 330-336-3330.