Should Prisoners Have The Right To Vote Essay

Improved Essays
Do prisoners have the right to vote? in my country and also in the UK, New Zealand and a few other places if you are in prison you cannot vote. Judging by the almost total lack of public discussion about this, most people in the United States at least seem to be fine with that. It is something we do not really talk about, something we do not really think about and whenever this gets brought up somebody usually says something like “if you break the law you lose your rights” or “voting is a privilege and it can be taken away” this is called Rights-Forfeiture Theory. The idea that you are usually entitled to vote, but that entitlement can be taken away if you break the law and a lot of people take this as some kind of truism, but there is more to be said about that. You do not give up all your rights when you break the law, if you gave all your rights up you could be executed without trial. You want to get certain rights restricted, like for instance your right …show more content…
There is no evidence to suggest that it aids in reform or the the deterrence. In fact it is thought to be an obstacle to rehabilitation allegedly one of the reasons that the Republic of Ireland was so keen to give prisoners The right to vote was to instill in them a sense of civic responsibility through participation. This is something that the Prison Reform Trust also supports. they are very much experts in this topic and they say that “social exclusion contributes to reoffending. It also has bad consequences that speak against doing it, in America and the UK problems arise from racially skewed criminal justice systems. In the US almost 40% of prisoners are black, which means that black people are having their voting rights removed much more than any other group and since black voters overwhelmingly vote Democrat (at least they have in every election since 1976) that will have an impact on the political

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    What seemed troubling furthermore is how the criminal justice system has been used as "a gateway into a much larger system of racial stigmatization. The criminal justice system is made up of laws, and policies that are set into place to control people regardless if they are either in the prison systems or not. Once an individual has been released from prison they enter a world of legalized discrimination (Alexander, 2010). They are then considered members of America 's new under caste. Today, it is so valuable that a person can exercise their right to vote particularly with the upcoming election.…

    • 1168 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Vermont, Maine, and Mississippi (depending on the crime) are the only three states out of fifty that allow voting while in jail, for all other states the voting right is removed while serving time in jail, prison, on parole or probation. For all 50 states, the right to vote is restored after serving the correct time or term. Some conditions apply for certain states, but it is still possible to retain the right to vote. The major of the states have the law, which is you lose the right to vote while serving your term and retain it afterwards, but other states have different laws. I believe that the right to vote should be revoked while serving your time, but retained after you’ve served your term.…

    • 1246 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Felon disenfranchisement has been around over 100 years and had shown just how having the right of voting taken away from you can impact the country profoundly. Felons who have served their time should be allowed to vote by federal law, not matter what state they reside in. It is said under the constitution that once you have been convicted of a felony you lose your right to vote, this law however was created to keep african americans from voting back in the late 1800s. The United States in not the same country it was 100 years ago, we have evolved and matured to the point where it is acceptable to let them vote once they have served their time. Forbidding fellow Americans of the right to vote, has impacted this country in more way than people realize, and prohibits millions of Americans in saying who they want their next president to be…

    • 676 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Throughout history there have been many laws restricting certain people from voting. Almost all of these laws have been abolished, however, the laws restricting felons from voting are still in place in most locations. Felons should have their voting rights restored to them after being reintegrated into society for a period of time Felons have server their time, and if they are deemed fit re-enter society, they should have the right to vote. Part of the reason felons have their rights removed is due to the instant assumptions that these people cannot be good people.…

    • 678 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Prison Gerrymandering

    • 504 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Sense there is now no law to protect prisoners from being used as pawns in gerrymandering and legislators using the prisoners to sway votes giving the government unlimited…

    • 504 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Felons have violated the established “Social Contract Theory” demonstrating that a felon’s judgment is faulty, as well as the susceptibility of felons to recidivism. In addition, felon disenfranchisement laws are not a predominant factor in the social reintegration of a felon. Moreover, according to the 14th amendment: states have the authority to deny one's right to vote due to criminal behavior. Lastly, felon disenfranchisement laws are not inherently racist nor encompass any racially targeted laws. If a person rebels feloniously against any aspect of society, warranted by moral, social, and legal means, that person’s right to vote must be revoked.…

    • 1401 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Disenfranchisement laws have proved to be problematic in America for a variety of reasons. One of the most striking issues, in my opinion, is the impact felon disenfranchisement has on minorities due to the racial disparity of prisons. Despite the laws being upheld at the federal level, it seems that it they are outdated and detrimental to American values. The laws also negatively affect political participation. “Although many Americans do not exercise their right to vote, the right itself is fundamental to citizenship” (Uggen and Manza, 195).…

    • 650 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Nyquanesha Stacey Professor Howard ENC1102 (168898) 26 October 2016 Convicted Felons: Should They Have the Right to Vote? Felons, convicts, criminals that’s what they are called, they are the deviants of the world but even so they are still human beings, should they have the right to elect a “new chief of the free world”? or vote on new laws? Some people believe absolutely not they should not have the right to vote.…

    • 1347 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Should American Citizens be required to vote Throughout the years, many citizens have fought for the right to vote. Citizens of other countries view the United States as being lucky just to have the opportunity to help choose the person who will be in charge of our country or to help decide how our constitution will be amended. American citizens should be able to vote for many reasons,first being U.S. citizens are the voice of America and are our future leaders and drive the political process. The second reason mandatory voting should be require is because it can get American citizens involved in the government, and lastly mandatory voting will sustain a democratic government. I believe that American Citizens should be able to vote for many reasons, one of the reasons that American citizens should be required to vote is the simple fact that American citizens are the voice of America and without our voices this country would have no one to represent us as a whole; the American Citizens represent the American population.…

    • 860 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Voting Rights In Kentucky

    • 727 Words
    • 3 Pages

    But the initial response from the governor-elect, Matt Bevin, a conservative Republican, was positive. “Governor-elect Bevin has said many times that the restoration of voting rights for certain offenders is the right thing to do,” said Jessica Ditto, a spokeswoman for Mr. Bevin’s transition office. Mr. Bevin first learned of the order on Tuesday, she said, and will evaluate it in coming weeks. Nationally, the drive to restore the right to vote to former convicts has gained bipartisan support as a way to promote the re-entry of prisoners to society, and as a way to reduce the disproportionate toll on potential black voters, a result of higher criminal conviction rates for African-Americans. “America is the land of second chances,” Mr. Bevin, who was known as a Tea Party candidate, said in a debate in October.…

    • 727 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Furthermore, these limitations implemented on felons can be traced back to the democratic foundation of America as women, poor, African Americans and felons were stripped of voting rights (McLaughlin, huffingtonpost.com) which still continues for felons today due to the strict enforcement of laws. Many Americans consider this to be a negative impact within the democracy as the exclusion of felons from political involvement brings about racial discrimination within the society (Sidlow and Henschen 171). Limitations on voting has led to the presence of racial discrimination as African Americans who are felons are on the top of the hierarchy in comparison to the rest of the population (Sidlow and Henschen 171). Due to which there is an imbalance within the voting system as a significant amount of individuals are being underrepresented within the democratic process. Furthermore, due to felon disfranchisement and the idea of racial discrimination, questions are being raised regarding who goes to the prison in United States based on its high incarceration rates nationwide (Greenhouse, nytimes.com).…

    • 1134 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Persuasive Essay On Felons

    • 1173 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Individuals convicted of a felony are not eligible to vote while incarcerated, on parole, or on probation. Voting rights are restored a couple years after the completion of all supervised release. Felons who have served their sentence and have followed protocol should have the right to vote in less than two years. Voting is vital aspect of our lives. Being confined for so many years, deprived of freedom and a few rights taken away, an individual would love to vote in a major election like this year.…

    • 1173 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Essay On Prison Reform

    • 800 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Prisoners are entitles to due process, safe and adequate shelter, food, clothing, and necessary medical treatment. However, inmates are not entitled to luxuries such as television, privacy, receiving an education while in prison, or any other tax-supported program while incarcerated. Prisons have offered rehabilitation programs for years at the cost of billions of dollars. When giving luxuries to prisoners the rights of people in society as well as the victims of these inmates are being…

    • 800 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    A lot of people think the majority of the inmates that go to jail are young delinquents, but what they don’t know, is that there’s also elderly people that break the rules. Even though they have a higher rate of illness, there’s still a high rate of older people in prison. In 2010, 8% percent of the prison population was 124,400 inmates, who were 55 years old or older. Elderly offenders are in a special unit in prison, because they have multiple health complications.…

    • 832 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Prisoners don’t have the knowledge to for making sure a important decision. They didn’t have the knowledge when they made the decision of making a felony. Prisoners don’t have the knowledge of what is happening outside their world. They don’t have the understanding of what is going to happen depending on the decision that the make. They didn’t make the correct decision they broke the law, that makes the country not trust them when it comes to voting.…

    • 1007 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays