Kenderia moore
Ms. Cooper
Ap language and composition
22 February 2016
Every year men and women lose the right to vote as well as these rights, once they become felons. Felons are people that have been committed heinous act against society, by being locked away, they are given time to understand their mistakes, and serve their debts to society, most felons learn to be better people. Felons are also less likely to commit crimes after they vote. Many ask should they be able to partake in making decisions for the better of our country. So, should ex-felons be allowed to vote after they have served their time?
Ex-felons should be given back their right to vote because they have served their debts to society, they are given time understand their
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mistakes, as well as learn to better themselves I.
By being locked away felons miss their families as well as see that they shouldn’t have to live that way.
a. Bandwagon appeal supports theory that felons believe since people aren’t committing crimes, as well as those who’ve committed crimes but didn’t get caught are free and able to be with family that they should too.
i. Theory makes felons see that they should be obedient and do what is expected of them so that they may return back home.
ii.
b. Family plays a big role in people’s lives.
i. Ex-felons are able to get the support they need
ii. Family show them that they aren’t alone
II. Felons while incarcerated have ample enough of time to understand their mistakes.
a. They see what they did was wrong
i. Less likely to commit crimes
ii. Want to make amends with those they’ve hurt or done wronging to.
b. They decide to change their life for good
i. According to a study felons two months after, try to start fresh after imprisonment.
ii. According to the herald tribune, 30,672 ex-felons had their civil rights restored during 2009 and 2010.
III. We give felons back their rights and they’re able to prove themselves, as well as help make a change
a. Able to prove they aren’t just a bunch of
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mistakes i. They can involve themselves in activities that deem them as changed people ii. Get people to see the for the person that lies within b. They are able to make a change i. Aid in the process of helping make change where their voice counts ii. IV. Felons have served their debt to society. a.
Ex-felons are also people like everyone else.
i. Everyone makes mistakes, some are just bigger than others
ii. Ex-felons are EX for a reason- they have served their time.
b. If we truly want people convicted of felonies to re-engage with society, become rehabilitated, and feel a part of a broader community, then our state should do everything possible to re-incorporate thee individuals into mainstream society.
i. It is not fair if thousands of people are unable to regain their voting rights because they are poor
ii. If we want people to do better we must at least attempt to help them improve.
V. Currently fourteen states disenfranchise felons for life.
a. In six of these states, restoration of voting rights is essentially impossible.
i. In an excerpt of “Voting Rights”, titled “More Efforts Needed”, Bruce a. Dixon says Attorney general Eric Holder could take concrete steps such as passing the Democracy Restoration Act then maybe citizens would see that he’s serious about changing laws around disenfranchisement of felons.
ii. Senator Rand Paul is taking the lead by drafting a somewhat similar bill to the Democracy Restoration Act, the Civil Rights Voting Restoration Act, for restoration of voting rights for those convicted of nonviolent
crimes. b. Restoration of voting rights is an exceptionally onerous process, often requiring a gubernatorial pardon, clemency, complex and costly administrative appeals, or special acts of the state legislature. i. VI. Allowing felons to be enfranchised would do little to reduce recidivism. a. The statistical argument derives from a recent study in Florida that showed a lower recidivism rate for felons whose right to vote had been restored than for those whose rights hadn’t i. Suggesting that he automatic restoration of voting rights to all felons would lower recidivism is rather like suggesting that we can raise the incomes of all college students if we automatically grant them with a college degree. Reason being is statistics prove that people with college degrees have higher incomes than those without them. ii. Those who are motivated to navigate such a process elf-select as a group loess likely to repeat their crimes. b. The U.S. attorney general told former Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey that statistics can be read to show that felon disenfranchisement laws actually promote recidivism. i. Laws are rooted in outdated notions going back to colonial days. ii. Laws were originally used to deny the vote to blacks- who actually make up a larger percentage of those convicted of felonies than they do of the general population.
The Voting Rights Act marked a significant shift in American democracy, ensuring the right to vote for all regardless of race, religion, or sex. The key provisions of the Voting Rights Act, Section IV and Section V, ensured the overview of all state mandated voting laws, safeguarding constitutional values despite racial opposition. The breaking down of this provision under Supreme Court Ruling Shelby County, Alabama v. Holder, Attorney General has the potential to undo decades of progress to tackle racial barriers, isolating and withholding the right to vote for the weak, effectively dissolving democracy for the ones who need it the most.
Wadley, Jared. "Panel: Ex-felons Should Be Allowed to Vote." January 9, 2012 | The University
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.
In America millions of offenders including men and women leave imprisonment in hope to return to their family and friends. On an article Prisoners and Reentry: Facts and Figures by The Annie E. Casey Foundation, in the year 2001 1.5 million children were reunited with their parents as they were released from prison. Also in 2005 the number of that passed prison gates were 698,499 and the number of prisoners that were released was approximated at about 9 million. Parole and Prison reentry has been a topic that really interests not only a lot of the communities around the world but is a topic that interest me. Recidivism is not only the topic that interests people but the offenders that get off on parole and how they cope with society after they
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
The United States is one of the only few democratic countries that disenfranchises convicted felons. An estimated 5.85 million people charged with a felony are banned from voting. Moreover, felon disenfranchisement laws are a form of racial discrimination because a large percentage of felons are Hispanic, Latino or African American that have been incarcerated as a result of racial profiling. Denying felons from voting is unconstitutional since the right to vote and cast a ballot is supposed to be the cornerstone of democracy. Felons who have completed their sentence should be restored their right to vote as they should be able to participate in elections just like every other citizen. Despite being charged with a felony, felons are also American
Individuals convicted of a felony should not lose their right to vote. The right to vote is a
"Criminal Disenfranchisement Laws." Brennan Center for Justice. New York University School of Law, n.d. Web. 16 Apr. 2014. .
...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.
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.
Travis, Jeremy & Waul, Michelle. (2003). Prisoners Once Removed: The Impact of Incarceration and Reentry on Children, Families, and Communities. The Urban Institute Press: Washington, D.C.
"Too many Americans go to too many prisons for far too long, and for no good law-enforcement reason … Although incarceration has a role to play in our justice system, widespread incarceration at the federal, state and local levels is both ineffective and unsustainable. . . We need to ensure that incarceration is used to punish, deter and rehabilitate – not merely to convict, warehouse and forget"(Holder). Former Attorney General Eric Holder does not dispute that prisons play an important role in the justice system. He believes that along with punishing the inmate’s prisons should provide them with rehabilitation. With the already overpopulated prison system across the US there should be alternative for lesser nonviolent offences.
The Criminal Justice system was established to achieve justice. Incarceration and rehabilitation are two operations our government practices to achieve justice over criminal behavior. Incarceration is the punishment for infraction of the law and in result being confined in prison. It is more popular than rehabilitation because it associates with a desire for retribution. However, retribution is different than punishment. Rehabilitation, on the other hand is the act of restoring the destruction caused by a crime rather than simply punishing offenders. This may be the least popular out of the two and seen as “soft on crime” however it is the only way to heal ruptured communities and obtain justice instead of punishing and dispatching criminals
The next benefit is to the Bureau of Prisons and the correctional system in general. Every year there is an increase in the prison population, and many convicted felons are required to wait to ente...