Should convicts be allowed to vote?

[Al B. Sure!]

If released from prison, should convicted felons immediately regain voting rights?

[JCG]

Why not? They already paid for their offenses.

[Flubber]

I look at voting as a right and a privilege and have no problem with the concept that people lose the right to vote while imprisoned. But but upon thier release, I like to hope that they will attempt to become productive members of society. If participating in the democratic process is part of that, I see no issue with them immediately having the vote.

[gsmoove23]

For what possible reason would you not allow a convict to vote, even while he is imprisoned?

[Dis]

hmm well I suppose so if they have fully paid off their sentence. So this does not include parolees on probation.

[SlowwHand]

No, they forfeit that right. Tough.

[FrustratedPoet]

Originally posted by gsmoove23
For what possible reason would you not allow a convict to vote, even while he is imprisoned?

Because they're dirty lying thieving scum who shouldn't be trusted with any form of responsibility or power .... oh wait, that's the politicians.

[Al B. Sure!]

apparently, several states require various things to happen in order for convicts to regain voting rights including the passing of several years after release, a gubernatoral 'pardon' re-allowing enfranchisment, etc. it's a complicated process.

as a result, some areas of the country have significant dis-enfranchisment. I believe I heard that one in four black males residing in Washington state can not vote due to being convicts.


thanks

[oedo]

if people lose their civil rights (for example because of spending a part of their life in prison), it´s more probable that they´ll fall back into criminality after prison.
crime law is mainly made for preventing crimes as much as possible. so I hardly can think about anything that would be more contraproductive.

[SlowwHand]

Crime law sets the punishment.
Parents, teachers, good friends, and the Church prevent.

[yavoon]

oedo I would say that before you commit ur first crime the idea is to prevent crime. but once u have broken the law and taken away someone else's rights? life? liberty? money? then there is some definite punishment involved w/ me.

and I see no problem w/ taking away a felon's right to vote.

[Al B. Sure!]

Slowwwhand:

Parents do not exist anymore... teachers def don't give a damn... friends? you mean all those people who smoke weed or shoot up heroine? I see nothing that prevents crime

[gsmoove23]

Nobody can say why this would be necessary, instead its a vindictive policy, some form of punishment that has no effect on rehabilitation and the only other demonstrable effect is it lowers the democratic voter pool. I don't understand how these laws could possibly stand.

[Ming]

Once their debt to society has been paid "fully"... let them vote. If we aren't going to treat them like full citizens, we shouldn't let them out.

[chequita guevara]

Once you've done the time, your punishment should be over. Only ten states currently restrict ex-felons from voting. Florida goes a step further, and illegally keeps ex-felons from other states from voting, even if they've had their voting rights restored in those states. Jeb has refused to obey the law since 1998, when the Supreme Court of Florida ordered him to re-instate out-of-state ex-felons. Frankly, they should put the governor in jail for contempt. Our state government is really contemptuous of the citizens Constitutional rights.

When you consider the large number of people who are wrongfully convicted, who serve someone else's time and get out, it should be apparent that taking a ex-felon's right to vote away is just wrong.

People are so ready to crucify criminals that they never consider the effects. Yeah, let's make prison such a hell that no one will ever want to go back. And recidivism rates skyrocket, making angry, violent men, who go out on the streets more dangerous than they went in. Great! Just great! Just what we need, angry, violent men, who will kill to stay out of prison. I sure feel a whole lot safer now.