Article About The Voting Rights Of Felons

745 Words2 Pages

This assignment will be to write an op-ed article about the voting rights of felons. The assignment should be turned into the drop box no later than Week 3Saturday at 11:59pm. The Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution provides that “the right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.” The states are permitted, however, to deny the right to vote to citizens based on their status as convicted felons. There is a substantial debate brewing over whether it is appropriate to limit the voting rights of felons and, if so, under what circumstances (only while they are in prison, on parole or probation or for life, for all crimes or only for certain crimes). Your task is to research the issue and prepare an op-ed article advocating your position. See http://aboutpublicrelations.net/ucmclaina.htm for suggestions on how to successfully prepare an op-ed article. Your article should be a minimum of 600 words in length and cite to 2 sources. The assignment should be double-spaced, 12-point font (Times New Roman) with 1-inch margins all around, and proper citation. I feel that felons should be able to get back there right to vote. It is possible for people to reform and change. I know a lot of people from my job that have been to prison. Most of them were there because of drugs, and are clean now. They were handed out a sentence, and served their time. Then maybe parole or probation. Why strip away their right to vote. There is large majority of African Americans that can’t not vote because of this. It says that 1 out of every thirteen black people can’t vote. How can you get a fair el... ... middle of paper ... ...e this anyways. Losing the right to vote after leaving prison seams insignificant, when leaving prison. When leaving prison it’s hard for the inmate to find a place to live, and also find employment. Many people can be overwhelmed by the struggles of fitting in again. Showing people you have faith in them, helps people to rehabilitee, and feel like they matter. The United States of America is supposed to be a free country, it doesn’t seem fair that something as fundamental as the right to vote can be stripped away from you. Everyone in our country has a voice, and they are equally important regardless if you believe the same way, that they do politically or not. ProCon.org. (2014, March 12). Top 10 Pros and Cons. Retrieved from http://felonvoting.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=000283 http://www.democracysghosts.org/whyfelonsvote/whyfelonsvote.html

Show More
Related

  • Why Is Hester Prynne A Heroic Figure

    1289 Words  | 3 Pages

    Directions: For each of the questions below, prepare an insightful and supported answer. Strengthen your arguments with text-based evidence and artful observations. This document will be submitted to Turnitin.com on Thursday, September 1 before 7:00 A.M., so be sure to convey original and thought-provoking answers that are YOUR OWN. Please print your answers for Thursday’s Seminar.

    Read More

  • Should Felons Vote?

    618 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the United States 2.2 million citizens are incarcerated on felony charges. Laws in America prohibit felons from voting. As a result, on Election Day 5.3 million citizens of America are disenfranchised because of crimes they once committed. Though they once broke the law, they have served their time and have been punished adequately in accordance with the American Justice System. Felons should regain full voting rights after their stint in prison.

    Read More

  • The Pros And Cons Of Felon Voting

    728 Words  | 2 Pages

    Felon voting laws limit the restrictions for a felon to vote on any election. “Felon voting has not been federally regulated because some people argue that Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act can be tied to felon disenfranchisement and the Congress has the authority to legislate felon voting in federal elections.” Felon disenfranchisement is excluding people otherwise eligible to vote from voting due to conviction of a criminal offence, usually restricted to the more serious class of crimes, felonies. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures and The Sentencing Project, 1 in 40 adults were unable to vote due to a felony conviction in the 2008 elections. One purpose of the felon voting laws is the uncertainty of trusting

    Read More

  • Juvenile Court: Dealing with Underage Defendants

    1131 Words  | 3 Pages

    I believe that instead of incarcerating them they should be put in facilities that will help them get treatment for their disabilities, disorders, and drug addictions. If they are being rehabilitated the right way it will help prevent further crimes and also will help the offender go back into society and live a crime free lifestyle. For Christel Tribble being locked up actually helped her out to realize that she doesn’t want to be a delinquent. She was motivated by her mother to continue her education and to realize that it’s not worth being in the court system at such a young age because it will be a never ending cycle. For Keith Huff, he went to Kentucky State prison five times serving a total of 27 years in the criminal justice system. He was incarcerated for drug problems, which in the long run won’t help him. It would be more beneficial for him to receive help to prevent him from using drugs. If they sent him to a rehabilitation center where he can receive the appropriate help he need it would prevent him from future imprisonment. As for Charles McDuffie he was an addict and a Vietnam veteran suffering from PTSD. He was sentenced to prison, which was no help for him in his situation dealing with PTSD. He needed mental health treatment to help him deal with the tragedies that he was remembering from the Vietnam War. Luckily when McDuffie got out of prison his friends, who

    Read More

  • Life After Prison: In Life After Prison

    1301 Words  | 3 Pages

    Once released from prison, he or she is deemed a felon. Losing the right to vote, not being able to serve on a jury, and inability to enforce his or her second amendment is just a few of the disadvantages of serving time, but this is just the textbook interpretation. There is no much more that is at stake when you step foot behind bars. Once a person gains their freedom the better question to ask is what wasn’t taken form them? Their job if there was one in the first place, their children, their family, and most importantly the part of the person that made them a member of society.

    Read More

  • 14th And 15th Amendment Impact On America Essay

    465 Words  | 1 Pages

    Right of Citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied by the United States or by any state on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.”

    Read More

  • Convicted Felons Should Retain The Right to Vote

    1610 Words  | 4 Pages

    whims of state legislatures. Laws that prohibit felons from voting are a punishment above and

    Read More

  • Voting Rights Act Of 1965 Essay

    1061 Words  | 3 Pages

    The United States changed as a nation because of the Civil Rights Movement. Especially, the United States notched up as a more perfect union. The Civil Rights Movement secured voting rights for African-Americans and called for the ending racial segregation, discrimination and segregation. After years of struggle and upheaval, it resulted in the enactment of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, under the presidency of Lyndon B. Johnson. The purpose of the act was to protect African-Americans’ voting rights and overcome legal barriers that prevented them from exercising their rights to vote. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was a historic triumph as it helped the nation acknowledge the Fifteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution which granted equal voting rights to all but which goal remained unfulfilled for the next several decades. Therefore, The Voting Rights Act of 1965 banned

    Read More

  • Glenn Loury: Racial Incarceration Of African America

    1199 Words  | 3 Pages

    As Loury and Karlan point out, incarcerated black individuals become disenfranchised due to the “draconian laws” of our judiciary system ( ). However, where have we seen this in an actual life scenario where it counts? The answer is the United States presidential election of 2000. Here, George W. Bush defeated Al Gore and won the state by approximately 500 votes. The relevance of this is astonishing, because, according to Loury, Florida disenfranchises the most black individuals than any other state due to incarceration ( ). The black voters had the power to literally alter to course of our American history by potentially swaying the state in favor of Al Gore, that is if they had not have had their voting rights

    Read More

  • What is Criminal Disenfranchisement?

    896 Words  | 2 Pages

    Criminal disenfranchisement is defined as the loss of the right to vote by a person convicted of or sentenced to imprisonment for a felony. Since before the civil war, this practice has been a part of the United States justice system mostly as a means to handle the racial issues with voting but then also in regards to the felons and rebels that participated in the Southern “rebellion” during the Civil War. This practice has recently gained some popularity since a debate has developed as to whether it is unconstitutional or not. Is voting a right or a privilege?

    Read More

  • Should convicted felons have the right to vote?

    1055 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...he right to vote. I made a ten question survey that asked questions about letting convicted felons have the right to vote in major elections throughout America. Thirteen out of thirty high school students said that convicted felons should have the right to vote because they are American citizens. The other seventeen people I surveyed said that they should not have the right to vote because they had their chance to perform correctly in society and failed miserably. As you can now see, I have given you many reasons to see that convicted felons should not have the right to vote. They cannot be trusted with such a responsibility as voting for this country’s next leader.

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay On Mass Incarceration

    1168 Words  | 3 Pages

    In most states ex-felons are not allowed to vote. This takes away a large portion of the voting population because of how many ex-felons there are right now and the many more that will be in the future. Ex-felons may also have a very hard time finding a job or a place to live. Legally landlords are allowed to deny an ex-felon. In Carbondale Illinois rental properties owners “Home Rentals” does background checks to make sure that none of their potential renters are felons. If they are felons Home Rentals claims that they will deny them the privilege of living in one of their properties. Ex-felons may also have a hard time finding jobs. Not many employers are willing to employ ex-felons for the fear of more crime or less commitment. Though denying these ex-felons jobs will not help the economy, only giving them jobs can help that.

    Read More

  • The Effect of Illegal Immigration on the US Economy

    892 Words  | 2 Pages

    Should Illegal Immigrants Have?. Ed. Lori Newman. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2006. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. Houston Community College. .28 Sep. 2011

    Read More

  • Evolution and Challenges of Voting Rights in America

    1333 Words  | 3 Pages

    In order to completely understand how far society has come and the amount of work that still must be done, in regards to being able to exercise our voting rights, we must first understand some of the voting barriers that minorities had to face in the past. It was not until 1870 that the 15th amendment was passed, declaring it unconstitutional for an individual to be denied the right to vote based on their color, race or previous condition of servitude. However, the 15th amendment only applied to male individuals, it did not guarantee the right for women to vote. Instead female voters had to wait an additional fifty years until they were granted the privilege to vote. In 1920, the 19th amendment was finally passed, stating that regardless of gender every American citizen had the right to vote.

    Read More

  • Essay On African American Voting Rights

    1573 Words  | 4 Pages

    People are born free, and everyone should have equal rights. If anyone reject others from their rights so they should protest to get their rights back. During 1960s people made some movements in order to get their rights which we call civil rights movement. In that movement African-American also made a movements in order to get voting rights act passed.There were a lot of restriction in front of them to get their voting rights. Voting rights Act of 1965 is a significant Act for African American in order to have equality in the United States. Voting rights gave a chance to African American to get their democratic rights but still today African-Americans are struggling for their voting rights.

    Read More

More about Article About The Voting Rights Of Felons

Open Document