The issue of felony disenfranchisement is a controversial issue in our government. Read what the experts have to say. What side will you take?
Pro (Felons have a Civil right)
"We let ex-convicts marry, reproduce, buy beer, own property and drive. They don't lose their freedom of religion, their right against self-incrimination or their right not to have soldiers quartered in their homes in time of war. But in many places, the assumption is that they can't be trusted to help choose our leaders... If we thought criminals could never be reformed, we wouldn't let them out of prison in the first place"
Steve Chapman columnist and editorial writer at the Chicago Tribune "The Eighth Amendment 'succinctly prohibits 'excessive' sanctions,' and demands that 'punishment for crime should be graduated and proportioned to the offense'... Thus, the states that continue to exclude all felons permanently are outliers, both within the United States and in the world." Pamela S. Karlan, JD Professor of Public Interest Law at Stanford University "Denying prisoners the right to vote is likely to undermine respect for the rule of law... Allowing prisoners to vote, by contrast, may strengthen their social ties and commitment to the common good, thus promoting legally responsible participation in civil society." Jeff Manza, PhD Professor of Sociology and Political Science at the Institute for Policy Research at Northwestern University |
Con (felons do not deserve to vote)
"We should expect people to uphold at least some minimum moral standards in order to keep it -- such as refraining from violating their fellow voters' own inalienable rights"
Edward Feser, PhD, Instructor of Philosophy at Pasadena City College "We don't let children vote, for instance, or noncitizens, or the mentally incompetent. Why? Because we don't trust them and their judgment...So the question is, do criminals belong in that category? And I think the answer is clearly yes. People who commit serious crimes have shown that they are not trustworthy" Roger Clegg, President and General Counsel of the Center for Equal Opportunity "The main point of a prison sentence is to show the offender and society as a whole that criminal behaviour results in loss of freedom and most of the rights that freedom offers." Jonathan Aitken, JD Member of British Parliament and a convicted felon |