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GraysonHull
ProfessorBrandonAlva
English2010
02May2016

TheConvictedFelonsRights
ConvictedfelonsrightshavebecomeacontroversialtopicintheUnitedStates.The
currentsystemrestrictsanddisenfranchisesmany,orinsomecasesall,rightsofthosethat
commitfelonyoffenses.Convictedfelonsloserightsandprivilegessuchasvoting,possessing
firearms,andmanyemploymentopportunities(Palazzolo).Manycitizensandlawmakersare
callingforlessenedrestrictionsonfelons.Peopleonthissidecitedemocratic(St.John),social
(Siegel),andeconomic(Palazzolo)reasonsfordoingso.Othersfeelthatdoingsowould
encourageorendorsecriminalbehavior.Myopiniononthetheissuewasthatofthelatteruntila
veryimportantpersoncameintomylife.Baseduponabackgroundcheck,mostwould
undoubtedlyperceiveanegativeimageofthispersonhowever,doingsowouldbequitethe
folly.Myexperienceswiththispersonagitatedadesiretoputmyinitialopinionintoquestion.
Forstarters,Idecidedtodosomeresearchontheantireformsargument.Theprimary
premisefortheseargumentsisthatpeoplewhodobadthingsdeservebadconsequences.This
seemsfairitisanancientconceptatleastasoldasrecordedhistoryandisfoundinour
Constitution.TheUnitedStatesConstitutionexplicitlyallowsforthedisenfranchisementof
felonswiththe14thAmendment(BrowneandClegg).Ifnoseriousrestrictionsor
disenfranchisementlawsareenforcedonthosewhocommitfelonies,whatwilldeteranyone


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fromcommittingthem?Itisunfairtothelawabidingcitizenstonotpunishfelons,accordingto
thisside.Bygivingvotingrightstofelons,thevotingpowerofeachlawabidingcitizenwould
bediminished.Thiswouldbeparticularlytrueinminorityneighborhoodsbecauseminoritiesare
overrepresentedintheconvictpopulation(BrowneandClegg).Anotherconsiderationthatmust
bemadeiswhatotherpopulationsintheUnitedStatesarenotgrantedsuffrage:children,
noncitizens,andthementallyhandicapped(BrowneandClegg).Wedontreallyobjecttothis.
Thesepopulationshavetheirvotingrightswithheldnotbecausetheyarebadpeople,butbecause
theyarenotdeemedcompetentenoughtoparticipateinelections.Thesameisarguedtosupport
disenfranchisementoffelons.Antireformersassertsomeonenotcompetentenoughtofollowthe
lawshouldnotbeabletotakepartinmakingthelaws(BrowneandClegg).Del.JohnW.E.
ClusterJr.,aBaltimoreCounty,MarylandRepublican,favorstheantireformsideandvoicedhis
frustrationaboutthegrowingproreformmovement,It'sgettingworseandworsewith'Let'sget
thebadguysoutofjailandexpungetheirrecords.(Dresser).Thissidesargumentthatfelons
arebadpeopledoesnotholdasmuchweightasauniversaltruthnowaftermyexperienceswith
myfriend.Althoughasidefromtheaforementionedpoints,therewasnotalotofinformation
aboutthisside.SoIdecidedtocheckthemeritsoftheotherargument.
Fromthere,Idecidedtolookforinformationabouttheproreformside.Ifounda
plethoraofsourcestosupporttheaforementionedpremises:democratic,social,andeconomic
benefits.Mostheavilydebatedinregardstorightsoffelonisvoting.Allstateshavesome
restrictionsonfelonsvotingwiththeexceptionsofMaineandVermont.Moststatesallowfelons
tovoteoncetheyarenolongerincarceratedorfinishedwithprobation.Theproblemthatcomes
withfelonsnotbeingabletovoteisthatitisfundamentallyundemocraticandtheUnitedStates


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issupposedtobeademocracy.Inademocracy,everyonesinterestisrepresentedbyvoting
whichdoesnotoccurwithdisenfranchisement.Therehasbeenastudythatclaimstheoutcomes
ofsevenSenateracesandaPresidentialelectionhavebeendeterminedbecauseoffelon
disenfranchisementlaws:asmanyassixmillionAmericansaresilencedwithouttherighttovote
duetothevotingrestrictionsforfelons(NewYorkTimesEditorialBoard).Thereareafew
statesthatpermanentlyrevokerightsduetoafelonyconviction.Floridaisoneofthesestatesand
asaresulthasaboutamillionresidentswhocannotvotebecauseofthis(Bousquet).Minority
communitieshaveadisproportionateamountoffelonyconvictionsandmanybelievethatthis
allowsforthemisrepresentationofthesecommunitiesinterests(BrowneandClegg).
Asidefromunderrepresentationofinterests,anothernegativeaspectoftheselaws
construedbythoseinfavorofreformisincreasedrecidivism(St.John).Socialworkersbelieve
nothavingvotingrightsaswellaslessenedemploymentopportunitiesdiminishesthefelons
abilitytorejoinsociety,whichinturnsleadstofelonsrevertingtoillegalhabits(Siegel).In
additiontolawsbanningmanyconvictsfromvoting,therearemanylawsthatrestricttheirjob
opportunities.AccordingtotheAmericanBarAssociation,therearetensofthousandsof
jobrelatedrestrictionsplacedonfelonsatthestateandfederallevel(Palazzolo).Allofthese
lawsinadditiontoemployersstigmasaboutconvictsmakesteady,gdodemploymentvery
difficultforfelonstoobtain.AFloridaparoleboarddidastudyonreleasedconvictsandgot
findingthatsupporttheaboveassertions:felonswithoutvotingrightswerethreetimesmore
likelytoendupincarceratedagainthanfelonswithvotingrights(NewYorkTimesEditorial
Board).Thisallmakesalotofsensetome.Whensomeonedoesnotfeelliketheybelong,they
willnotparticipateinthegroup.Thepurposeofthecriminaljusticesystemistorehabilitate


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criminalsothattheycanrejoinsociety,ifpossible.Baseduponthesocialworkersexpert
opinion,itseemssafetoconcludethatthecurrentmeasuresdonotadequatelyreflectthepurpose
ofcriminaljusticeandrehabilitation.
Economically,sourcesshowthedownfallsoffelondisenfranchisement.Inanarticlefor
theWallStreetJournal,JoePalazzolocitesathinktankthatcalculatedbetween$57and$65
billionarelostinproductivityannuallyduetononincarceratedfelonshavingpooropportunities
foremployment.Lawsbanfelonsfromcertainjobsandtheirpermanentcriminalrecordsalso
causefelonstofacediscriminationfrompotentialemployers(Palazzolo).Withoutnumerous
employmentopportunitiesthathaveadequatepay,manyfelonsareforcedtorelyongovernment
assistance:foodstamps,energyassistance,subsidizedhousing(Dresser).Governmentassistance
coststaxpayersalotofmoneyandconvictswouldnothavetodrawfromitiftheycouldget
betterjobs.Amoresinisteralternativeisforthefelontorevertbacktooldhabitsinorderto
makeendsmeet.Thereismuchevidencetosupportthatthesepooreconomicfactorscontribute
totherecidivismrate(WilliamsandVega).Thiscycleofrecidivisminourcountryismore
exorbitantlymoreexpensivethannonincarceratedfelonsdependingonfoodstampsandother
formsofassistance.Legalfees,courtcosts,thecostofincarceratingsomeone,andthelost
workforceproductivityduetobeinginprisonarealsowhatcontributetothebillionsofdollars
losteveryyearintheUS.
Idecidedtoformallyinterviewmyclosefriendwhoisdirectlyaffectedbytheselawsto
findouthisopinioninregardstodisenfranchisement.WhenIaskedhimhowtheselaws
currentlyaffecthim,herepliedthattheydonothavemuchofanimpactonhimnowthathehas
completedprobation.Utahisastatethatdoesnotimposeasmanyrestrictionsonfelonsthey


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onlylosevotingrightswhileinprison.Theonlylegalrestrictionnowplaceduponhimthatheis
currentlyawareofishecannotpossessafirearm.Societyplacesthemostrestrictionsonfelons
inUtah,accordingtohim.Forexample,itisextremelydifficultforhimtogetanapartment
becauselandlordswillseehisstringofsixfeloniesfromsixyearsagowhentheyrunacriminal
backgroundcheck.Havingfeloniesononescriminalrecordalsomakesithardertogetaloan.
Themostdifficultpartabouthavingacriminalrecordisgettingajob.Myfriendclaimshejust
gotextremelyluckyafterreleaseandwasabletogetreallygoodemploymentopportunitiesand
eventuallybuyintothecompanyheiswithnow.Hereiteratedthathiscurrentcircumstancesare
atypicalandmuchbetterthanmostfelons.WhenIaskedwhatwasthedifferencebetweenhim
andafeloninmoredirestraights,herepliedattitude.Hedidnotallowhispastmistakesto
dictatehisfutureandthathasmadeallthedifference.Bynotseeinghimselfasalesserperson
andworkingharderthantheaveragepersonhewasabletoachieveremarkablesuccessfora
felon:someonewhomostofsocietywouldviewasapariah.HoweveruponfurtherreflectionI
realizethatmostpeople,felonornot,donotpossesthesamelevelofdeterminationasmyfriend.
Asaresult,therestrictivelawsdirectedatfelonsinthemajorityofstateswouldbeenoughto
disheartenmostwhichinturnattributestorecidivism:averycostlyconsequence.
Afterthoroughlyresearchingthistopic,Ifeelreformationofthecurrentlawsforfelons
rightsisnecessarybecausetheoldwayofdoingthingsclearlyisnoteffective.Myresearch
showedmetheeconomic,ethical,democratic,andsocialreasonsfordoingso.However,Ialso
believethatnoteveryfelondeservesreenfranchisement.Iknowfrommypersonalexperience
thatnotallpeopleconvictedofafelonyarebadpeople,butitishardtoarguethatallfelonsare
goodpeople.Thevulgarityofthecrimecommittedshoulddeterminewhichfelonsgetwhich


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rightsback.Personsaccuratelyconvictedofcrimeslikerapeormurdersimplydonotdeservethe
rightsoflawabidingcitizens.Whereasnonviolentfelonsconvictedofvictimlesscrimessuchas
marijuanatraffickingwouldgreatlybenefitsocietyiftheyweregivenequalrightsuponrelease
fromprison.Baseduponcurrenttrendofstatesmovingtowardsreenfranchisement,Ifeelour
countryismovingintherightdirection.Innatelygoodpeople,similartomyfriend,thatmay
havemadepoordecisionsintheirpastmaysoonhaveabetterchanceatbecomingbeneficial
membersofoursociety.


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Browne,Sharon,andRogerClegg."FelonsCan'tVote,andThat'sFair."
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Palazzolo,Joe."AfterPrison,LandingaJobIsTricky."
WallStreetJournal
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SIRSIssuesResearcher.
Web.01Mar.2016.


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St.John,Paige."45,000FelonsRegainVotingRights."LosAngelesTimes.05Aug.2015:A.1.
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