NCJ Number
207448
Date Published
March 2002
Length
20 pages
Annotation
This paper discusses the civic and political life of criminal offenders, with a particular emphasis on felon disfranchisement.
Abstract
While much research on offenders has addressed socioeconomic and family reintegration, the subject of felon reintegration into community life and civic participation has received little attention. To adequately examine this issue, the paper begins with a historical overview of voting restrictions on felons and ex-felons, as well as a discussion of current legal challenges. The analysis found that while many nations currently disfranchise some portion of their correctional populations, the United States is unusual in combining both high rates of criminal punishment and restrictive felon disfranchisement laws, and that correctional populations affected by disfranchisement differ dramatically across the individual States. The analysis also showed that race and social class play a significant role in disfranchisement, with 13 percent, or more than 1.4 million African-American males disfranchised due to a current or former felony conviction. A review of current legislative efforts shows work at both the State and national levels to correct the problem of felon disfranchisement. The political impact of these restrictive felon disfranchisement laws is that these “lost felon voters” could possibly impact the outcome of close elections at local, State, and national levels. The analysis of barriers to democratic participation next looks at whether the issue matters to felons. Review of recent survey data found that for many felons, the loss of voting rights is part of a larger package of restrictions that confound their efforts to become a “normal citizen.” Some studies suggest that facilitating the civic reintegration of offenders will reduce their risk of recidivism. Further research is recommended. References, 4 tables, and 1 figure