Request for critique: Criminal Conviction Addendum Forum

[SallysMarbles]

On August 24, 2008, I had just enrolled at Utah State University, in Logan, Utah, for my freshman year. I was arrested while consuming alcohol with my friends and charged with “unlawful possession of alcohol by a minor.” I plead(ed) guilty to this charge and was sentenced to probation and a fine.
On August 30, 2008, In Logan Utah, I was arrested and charged with possession of marijuana and possession of alcohol by a minor, after consuming marijuana and alcohol in my dorm room with roommates. I plead guilty to both charges and was sentenced to probation and a fine, in addition to being sentenced to 90 days in jail for violating my previous probation.
On September 6, 2008, in Logan, Utah, I was arrested and charged with consumption of alcohol by a minor after a bout of underage drinking with friends. I plead guilty, and the judge agreed to suspend my jail sentence if I voluntarily withdrew from school and sought treatment. Withdrawing from school turned out to be a great decision, as the time off allowed me to seek treatment for my use of marijuana and alcohol which helped make me a more mature individual prepared and focused on learning and excelling in my classes. This allowed me to get a lot more out of my undergraduate education.
On November 16, 2008, while in voluntary treatment for drugs and alcohol in Sandy, Utah, I was arrested for retail theft. Another patient and myself were caught stealing books from Barnes & Noble. Because I had been my suspended jail sentence for underage drinking was dependent on my not committing any more crimes, my arrest resulted in my serving a 60 day jail sentence. This time, I was sentenced to court-ordered rehabilitation for my previous issues with alcohol and marijuana use along with my impulsive stealing, and given a suspended jail sentence and probation. I completed treatment and probation successfully.
On April 15, 2010, in Logan, Utah, I was arrested for simple assault. My roommate and I had a verbal disagreement, which escalated to him shoving me, and my reacting by tackling him to the ground. During this process, a glass was knocked off a table,and broke. While wrestling on the ground, my roommates’ forearm was cut by shards of glass. Upon realization that he was bleeding, we immediately stopped grappling and I rushed him to the emergency room. We were both arrested for assault. I plead guilty and was sentenced to fourteen days in jail and a year of probation for my actions.
I regret that I responded the way I did to my friend shoving me. I was not in any real danger and didn’t need to tackle him. Upon reflection, I’ve realized that there are many moments leading up to a threat of physical violence in which we can defuse the situation. I have learned how to de-escalate, and when that doesn’t work, walk away. I have made amends with my friend, and we both recognize the avoidability of and regret our confrontation.
There is no excuse for breaking the law. I feel remorse for my infractions, but also recognize the opportunity I was given to change my behavior and my life had a positive impact on my life. I have made changes in my life and have not had any problems substance abuse, nor with theft since I completed counseling. Most importantly, I view this block of charges as demonstrating how, as a young person, I didn’t believe the rules (or law) applied to me. My experiences have shown me how wrong I was.
Beyond a debt to society for my actions, I recognize that my experiences having broken the law and suffering the consequences, place me in a unique position to learn about the law, and use this knowledge to benefit others. That opportunities to do good are more important than a simple debt owed to society to balance out the bad one has done. My mistakes have made me more conscious of how my actions affect those around me and society at large. I also have a strong interest in how a criminal history affects’ one’s life and prospects, and the degree to which as a society, our laws allow for reform and rehabilitation.
Consequently, I’ve made an effort to actively contribute to society by volunteering and eventually working for Utah Food Bank, as well as serving in other capacities in other volunteer organizations like the Sierra Club.

[rpupkin]

There's a lot going on here. I'll make one suggestion:

"On September 6, 2008, in Logan, Utah, I was arrested and charged with consumption of alcohol by a minor after a bout of underage drinking with friends. I plead guilty, and the judge agreed to suspend my jail sentence if I voluntarily withdrew from school and sought treatment. Withdrawing from school turned out to be a great decision, as the time off allowed me to seek treatment for my use of marijuana and alcohol which helped make me a more mature individual prepared and focused on learning and excelling in my classes.This allowed me to get a lot more out of my undergraduate education."

If the 9/6/08 arrest was your last incident, then I think the "I became a more mature individual" part would be appropriate. But the problem is that this particular incident was followed by arrests (and apparent convictions) for theft and assault. I suggest saving all the "I grew up and learned my lessons" stuff for the end.

ETA: Note to self--stay away from Logan, Utah.

[KLKForever]

I definitely think showing that you've reformed will go a long way in gaining admission to Law School, but it could be difficult to gain admission to the Bar once you're out. However, not enough description is provided in the description of the assault. Did you attend anger management afterwards? Things like that could really help show rehabilitation.

[SallysMarbles]

@rpupkin-thanks, and yes-Logan Utah proudly touts its status as one of the "safest metro areas" in the US. But, where a vacuum exists for frequent reported serious crimes, there is a police department and a campus full of students from out-of-town who are easy targets for law enforcement to use all of that post 9/11 funding on.

[SallysMarbles]

@KLKForever-yes I had to attend anger management as a condition of my probation. Is that something that I should state in the addendum? And yeah, my record concerns me a bit in Bar Admission, but I have some vague hope in that I'm certain there are others with worse criminal records who've been admitted.