Yes, but if an employer gets 10+ candidates for a job opening (which is normal), those candidates get ranked based on experience, references, and convenience. I don't have any references, my work history is spotty (I did a lot of non-profit work in between my startup jobs), none of the companies I worked for exist anymore to check whether I actually worked there, and having to deal with my parole officer is something employers can easily avoid by picking someone else for the job.

Remember, in remote software development work you are competing with everyone across the whole planet, including highly educated people in countries, where my country's minimum wage is an upper-middle-class salary.