You must be able to relate to the idea that she knew what she was doing, knew the likely immediate result, but didn't think it through to a time 10-30 years away when she would be tarred with a serious convictions and it was preventing her from finding work. It is possible here for a lot of arguments to be correct - she both knew the likely result, but failed to appreciate all the results. A failure to see the broader picture (the criminal conviction). Given that idea of a conviction is surprising people here, it is unlikely that she considered this angle.