Pros And Cons Of Felons

Felons and Voting: Should Felons Be Allowed To Vote? If society thought criminals could be never be reformed, the government would not allow them to be released out of prison, correct? Leading to a bigger question, why should ex-felons and felons not be able to vote? A felon is person that has been convicted of a felony. Felons should not have the privilege of voting taken away after being convicted of a felony. Felons should be allowed to vote during and after the prison term. For numerous years, the U.S. Justice Department has been advocating states to reject laws that prevent felons from voting (Mauer, von Spakvosky , “Should Felons Be Able to Vote?”) Laws that prevent felons from voting have been found fair. Most states have adopted voting

More than two million African Americans, or close to eight percent of black adults, aren’t able to vote. A little less than two percent of non-African Americans are not allowed to vote (Voting Rights: 6 Reasons Ex-Felons Should Vote, Newsmax). About 3.9 million citizens in the U.S. were not able to take part in the current 2016 election because of the U. S. disenfranchisement laws regarding convicted felons. African American males are mostly affected by these laws. In some states, once a felon completes the sentencing, voting rights are restored. However, in ten states, Alabama, Delaware, Florida, Iowa, Kentucky, Mississippi, Nevada, New Mexico, Virginia, and Wyoming, a convicted felon voting rights are never restored. Disenfranchisement law does vary by state. In some states, like Illinois, prisoners cannot vote. In Georgia, if the person is in prison, on probation or on parole, the felon is disenfranchised. In Texas, an ex-felon cannot vote for two years after the sentence. Keeping disenfranchisement laws not only allowing African Americans males or females not to vote, but the laws are also keeping the non- African American males or females from voting ( “State’s Laws Felons Prevent 1.4 Million Black Men From Voting In The U.S.: Report.”