Throughout the nation there are 5.3 million Americans who are denied their right to vote because they have a criminal conviction on their record (“Felon Voting Rights”). In the state of Florida, a felon can’t apply for his right to vote to be restored until at least five years after he has completed his sentence, with no guarantee of his rights being restored. Violent and repeat felons haven’t proved they are good citizens; however non-violent felons, who have committed victimless crimes, should be allowed to have their rights restored when they have served their time and paid off their fines. Non-violent felons would have a better chance of readapting into society because they would be able to vote in elections, be rehabilitated, and return to fully contributing members of society.
Since felons aren’t allowed to vote, 5.3 million people aren’t allowed to go to the polls during an election, whether it is a national or a local election. All of those votes could really affect a big election, especially one like voting for president. In her article, Forgotten Citizens Must Be Given Back Their Right to Vote, Sasha Abramsky states that one in four black men throughout much of the South are unable to vote, [along with] a high percentage of poverty-level whites and Latinos. As a result of this, the electorate is shrunken; as it shrinks, election results don’t reflect the full will or need of the population. Allowing nonviolent felons to vote again would increase the number of people voting and better reflect the need of the population.
There are ways to prevent many people from losing their rights to begin with. Kentucky senator Rand Paul suggested that reclassifying felonies like drug possession and non-payment of child support int...
... middle of paper ...
...on Voting - ProCon.org." ProConorg Headlines. ProCon.org, 12 Feb. 2014. Web. 10 Apr. 2014.
Uggen, Christopher, and Jeff Manza. "Why Should Felons Vote?" Democracys Ghost. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Feb. 2014.
Uggen, Christopher, Sarah Shannon, and Jeff Manza. "State-Level Estimates of Felon Disenfranchisement in the United States, 2010." The Sentencing Project News -. The Sentencing Project, 20 Aug. 2012. Web. 28 Feb. 2014.
"Parole and Re-Entry - Right on Crime." Right on Crime. Texas Public Policy Foundation and Justice Fellowship, n.d. Web. 28 Feb. 2014.
"Successful Reintegration After Incarceration Resources." Successful Reintegration After Incarceration Resources. The Band Back Together Project, n.d. Web. 26 Feb. 2014.
Urevich, Robin. "Women’s Reentry Court Focuses on Rehab." California Health Report. California Health Report, 22 Jan. 2014. Web. 28 Feb. 2014.
What if one day you weren't allowed to voice your opinion about the people who run our country, your country, in other words, if you couldn’t vote? A lot of people don’t vote, but what if you didn’t even have the right to do so? In 12 states, ex-felons aren’t allowed to vote even after serving their prison time. When you think of a felon you probably think of someone that has done terrible things and shouldn't have a voice in politics, but that figure should be changed. One lady, by the name of Leola Strickland, isn’t allowed to vote because she has a felony on her record for postdating a few checks and having them bounce because she lost her job(1).
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.
Many people believe that felons do not deserve the right to vote. For these people, voting is not an inherent right; rather it is a privilege given to deserving people that wish to make a positive change to their lives. Some believe that, “…there is no reason for a felon to vote or to debate about whether or not they have that right…they made the choice to break the law, so why should they have any say in making it?” {Siegel} In this point of view, giving felons the right to vote is similar to rewarding them. With the right to vote, felons are still able to sway decisions regarding the lives of a society they are no longer a part of. Felons are meant to be punished, stripped of numerous rights including that of voting. Punishments, then, are made to restrict a person, not give them more freedom and decision.
The United States has a larger percent of its population incarcerated than any other country. America is responsible for a quarter of the world’s inmates, and its incarceration rate is growing exponentially. The expense generated by these overcrowded prisons cost the country a substantial amount of money every year. While people are incarcerated for a number of reasons, the country’s prisons are focused on punishment rather than reform, and the result is a misguided system that fails to rehabilitate criminals or discourage crime. The ineffectiveness of the United States’ criminal justice system is caused by mass incarceration of non-violent offenders, racial profiling, and a high rate of recidivism.
Should Felons Lose the Right to Vote? Retrieved from http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2010/03/22/should-felons-lose-the-right-to-vote/. Karlan, Pamela (2004). The 'Pale of the 'Pale of the 'Pale of the "Convictions and Doubts: Retribution, Representation, and the Debate" over Felon Disenfranchisement," Stanford Law Review, Vol. 78, No. 1, pp 56, No. 2 -. 5, Krajick, Kevin. The Species of the World.
Drago, F., Galbiati, R. & Vertova, P. (2011). Prison conditions and recidivism. American law and economics review, 13 (1), pp. 103--130.
"Criminal Disenfranchisement Laws." Brennan Center for Justice. New York University School of Law, n.d. Web. 16 Apr. 2014. .
Sampson, Robert J. and Janet L. Lauritsen. 1997. "Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Crime and Criminal Justice in the United States." Crime and Justice 21:311-74. doi: 10.2307/1147634.
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.
The Sentencing Project. Uneven Justice: State Rates of Incarceration by Race and Ethnicity. Retrieved from http://www.sentencingproject.org/doc/publications/rd_stateratesofincbyraceandethnicity.pdf The Sentencing Project. (2008).
Women in Prison. Washington, D.C.: Bureau of Justice Statistics Varnam, Steve. Our prisons are a crime (reforming the prison system). Editorial. Christianity Today 21 June 1993
Zhang, S. X., Roberts, R. E. L., & Callanan, V. J. (2006). Preventing parolees from returning to prison through community-based reintegration. Crime & Delinquency, 52(4), 551-571.
The right to vote is a right that according to law is entitled to everyone once you have reached the age of 18, but what happens if you break the law? Do you still have the right to vote for upcoming officials, or once the law has been broken has your right to vote been forfeited? Voting is a privilege and a privilege only. Ignorance is not an excuse and individuals should know better but what if when felonies have completed their time or still is doing time, should they still be allowed to vote? No, but when their debt is paid it is important to bring their rights back and allow them to vote again. The United States is one of the strictest nations when it comes to rejecting the right to vote to citizens that have been convicted of multiple of serious crimes. Thousands of Americans are forbidden to vote because of what philosophers call “felon disenfranchisement,” referring to those people who banned from voting otherwise eligible due to conviction of a criminal offense usually restricted to serious class of crimes
Denying ex-convicts the right to vote and the right to access food stamps serves as a way of rejecting the felons and violation of the basic human right of freedom. Denial of these basic human right add up to the many causes of recidivism in any state.
Johnson, Vernon. Everything You Need To Know About Chemical Dependency: Vernon Johnson's Guide For Families. Minneapolis: Johnson Institute, 1990.