Felony disenfranchisement is legally revoking citizens, who have been imprisoned for felony charges, of their right to vote. States are currently allowed, by law, to forbid felons from voting. In thirty-eight states, including the District of Columbia, felons’ rights to vote are restored immediately after they have completed their sentences and probational consequences (“Felony Voting Rights”). In other states, ex-cons must go through a process to get their voting rights back, which they have to
The topic of felon disenfranchisement has become a highly contested topic as of late. The current Presidential Administration in what would appear to be a hollow declaration and political posturing has recently directed Attorney General Eric Holder to decree the racially motivated and archaic Jim Crow driven practice be restructured or more likely abolished. And in what would appear as the trump card in an already racially sensitive society Atty. Gen Eric Holder states in his address to the Georgetown
right that many of us take for granted, some even viewing it as a “God given right.” As citizens, we expect the right to vote. Many oblivious to the fact that voting is a privilege that can be revoked. The process, commonly referred to as disenfranchisement, is the principle reason for my summary. Today more than ever, one of America's post-election concerns is voter turnout. Usually, the numbers are bleak, especially during local elections. As a society, we cannot afford to turn our back on
The root of Felon Disenfranchisement can be traced back to Greek and Roman laws. Where any person convicted of an infamous crime would lose his or her right to participate in polis. In Rome they would lose their right to participate in suffrage and to serve in the Roman legions. With the founding of the United States of America, the US Constitution gave the right to establish voting laws to the states. From 1776 - 1821 eleven states included felony disenfranchisement in their laws (Voter Registration
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.
Individuals convicted of a felony should not lose their right to vote. The right to vote is a birth right for citizens born in this country. This right is taken for granted by many and is exercised by far too few. As the United States prepares for its 57th presidential election over five million of its citizens will be denied their right to participate in the electoral process. Why would such a large number of people be denied a constitutional right? They have been excluded from voting
voting rights to the felon population is wrong, because felons are American citizens, and we all deserve the right to vote. Felon disenfranchisement is causing a large population of people to be denied the right to vote. A chart presented by ProCon.org shows that states, such as Florida, have more that a million citizens that are denied the right to vote due to felony charges (2012). This computes to one in every forty Americans denied the right to vote (Star-Ledger Editorial Board, 2014). Furthermore
the basic rights of a US citizen, but because they served jail time, they are unfit to choose our next leaders. “Nearly 6 million voting-age Americans can’t vote in the 2016 primaries and presidential election because of various state felon disenfranchisement laws”(Green). The right to serve in jury duty is also excluded from ex-felons. As a US citizen, voting-age men and women are put on a list which is pulled from the voters. This list is used to find men and women for jury duty, because they are
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
they stay in juvenile court till they are eighteen. There are many factors into waiving a juvenile into adult court. All from their prior criminal history to the offense they committed. There are laws out there saying that if you commit an A felony or B felony you are automatically waived to adult court. The purpose of Juvenile court is to rehabilitate the juvenile so they don’t reoffend. They don’t really punish the juvenile it is just whatever is in the best interest of the juvenile. Also when
“Kids Being Charged with Felonies” A felony is a crime in which the convicted may receive more than a year in prison for their actions. The paper that you are about to read is going to explore some of the issues about kids being charged with felonies. We will also examine some of the issues of how this is portrayed in our news media today. Furthermore, I will offer my opinion, on how kids being charged with felonies could be a positive step in the right direction. It is real that in America
The documentary Gideons Army was an eye opening experience which showcases our justice system. Although I have always heard that the justice system is broken I never understood the details until now. The challenges that public defenders face with the resources provided is bordering unconstitutional, in my opinion. When the sixth amendment was created, I don’t believe its intent was to deprive council of time and resources to be “effective representation”. When 12 million citizens are arrested each
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
His legal history includes four intake contacts and two violations of probation. Cody has had an intake contact for a felony offense. One or more of the intake contacts were for felony offenses against another person. He has no history of escape and no court ordered placements. He has had three juvenile detention confinements. He has no failure to appears in court. He has had no previous contact with
daughter and infant son, while other family members suggested that he loved his young children and he continues to make contributions in their lives. It is peculiar that a man with these beginnings and familial connections went on to receive seven felony convictions, with some including “possession of a stolen firearm, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and possession of ammunition by a convicted felon” (Frederick 2014 p.1: Sept. 29, 2009). After sitting in on the current trial brought
Domestic violence seems to be a never-ending problem from state to state with every state having its fair share of domestic violence. The Texas Council on Family Violence was formed to serve three focal points when dealing with domestic violence in the State of Texas implementing prevention programs that are focused in ending the root cause of domestic violence, providing victim services of domestic violence and promoting support to victims and the violent offenders to help them deal with their issues
Should Felons Vote? 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. Most politicians argue that
1994 by the Legislature and by the electorate in Proposition 184 (Mullin, 1998). As its name suggests, the law requires, among other things, a minimum sentence of 25 years to life for three-time repeat offenders with multiple prior serious or violent felony convictions. The Legislature and voters passed the Three Strikes law after several high profile murders committed by ex-felons raised concern that violent offenders were being released from prison only to commit new, often serious and violent, crimes
INTRODUCTION The huge body of the law can be broken down to according to various classifications. Three of the most important distinctions are those between (1) civil law and criminal law, (2) felonies and misdemeanors, and (3) crimes mala in se and mala prohibita (Gaines and Miller, 2013, pg. 69). CIVIL LAW AND CRIMINAL LAW Civil law includes all types of law other than criminal law. It deals with the disputes between individuals, organizations, or between the two, in which compensation is awarded
In 1994 fifteen states participated in a study on released prisoners. The study was to show the recidivism rates. “Recidivism is a tendency to relapse into a previous condition or mode of behavior; especially: relapse into criminal behavior”, according to Webster’s dictionary. Recidivism is one of the main causes of people being in prison now. In a study by the Pew Center, it was shown that there has been minimum improvement on the recidivism rates in the United States. Even though the rates vary