I'm not arguing that that getting away with anything is GOOD, but there's also the really basic element to this in that while ANYONE can "make mistakes", even ones that involve criminal acts, NOT everyone makes the ADDITIONAL mistake of getting caught, much less convicted. Not every employer bothers to do criminal background checks, but for those that DO check on their employees, a felony criminal record says that you did something pretty bad (felony level as opposed to a misdemeanor), you did it either impulsively or at least with poor planning - two highly UNdesireable qualities to most employers (since you got caught), there weren't enough mitigating circumstances to explain it away (since formal charges were brought, not just an arrest), and the state successfully made their case (conviction). Pretty easy for an employer to make a choice I'd think.