Felon’s Readapting into Society and Their Right to Vote

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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.

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