John Thompson Case Study

John Thompson is no stranger to courtrooms. When one of his relationships took a turn for the worst, Thompson was given custody of his wife’s children and moved to another state. His soon to be ex-wife later accused Thompson of abusing her and sexually abusing her children. Thompson went to serve eighteen years in prison after being released for good behavior. During his incarceration he was very productive and took classes to earn a college degree and a mechanic certification. Once released Thompson worked several jobs before working at a towing company. He wanted to be a tow truck operator so he applied for a license from the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, but because of his conviction he was denied approval. Thompson was denied under section 53.021(a) of the Texas Occupations Code, which reads, “AUTHORITY TO REVOKE, SUSPEND, OR DENY LICENSE. (a) A licensing authority may suspend or revoke a license, disqualify a person from receiving a license, or deny to a person the opportunity to take a licensing examination on the grounds that the person has been convicted of: (1) an offense that directly relates to the duties and responsibilities of the licensed occupation” …show more content…
Thompson had kept his record clean after leaving jail so an administrative judge was in his favor. The judge recommended the Department grant Thompson the license on many findings. In response the Department revised the judge’s findings and, “concluded Thompson’s unwillingness to confess foreclosed any possibility of rehabilitation.” The Department also argued that Thompson could not perform the duties or responsibility of the licensed occupation, because he had not done any training or rehabilitation program to help him return to a “normal life” after his jail