The Pros And Cons Of Felon Laws And Recidivism

Improved Essays
Felon Laws and Recidivism
When an offender is convicted of a felony he or she must be punished. This retribution not only included serving prison time, but fines and revocations. This subject is significant because we live in a culture where prisons are congested and crime is going up. The laws should be designed to support techniques in place that deter returning to prison and contradict them. Convicted felons lose many of the civil rights that are given to citizens without a record. Annulling these civil rights increase the opportunity of recidivism, dehumanizes the former offenders and overall damages the treatment process. Miller & Spillane, (2012). There are over five million U.S. citizens involved in some kind of correctional program
…show more content…
Meredith & Morse (2014). However some states believe that by taking these civil rights are key steps the overall deterrence process.
The idea called “Civil death” is used to describe convicted felons, because the decision to commit a crime ultimately effects them for the rest of their lives. This idea from roman legal tradition is an old practice used since the creation of state criminal laws. Miller & Spillane, (2012). Every American has a list of given civil right that come with their citizenship. These rights are put into question when one becomes a felon. Felons are able to keep certain right but others are taken away from them. Some examples of rights that are taken away from felons are the right to vote, right to bear arms, financial aid, job opportunities, and jury exclusion. When examining the debate over felon civil rights, one can start with the 14th amendment. The 14th Amendment was approved after the American Civil War. Many people who are against the idea of taking about felon civil rights will refer to this amendment.
…show more content…
The supporters of this method agree because of three main ideas. Firstly, many of the supporters like the idea of letting the states control the punishment of an offender that commits a crime in their territory. They believe that each state is like a parent and the kids in the state are their kids. Each parent has the right to discipline their kids the way they see fit within reason. Secondly, some supporters believe that civil rights are privileges and when you chose to commit a crime, you should lose some of those privileges. They would rather reward the citizens that make good choices with retaining though privileges. Mitchell (2005). Lastly the term “Law abiding Citizen” is used when determining who should be considered when assigning constitutional rights. Again many supporters of the idea want to demote offenders’ citizenship status to limited after committing the crime. Owens & Smith

Related Documents

  • Great Essays

    As citizens it is our jobs to evaluate every candidate’s proposals so that we can determine which candidate has the “right” or “good” solution to the nation’s problems. Some voters focus only on the consequences of these potential policies while others focus on the consequences and other factors that influence the duties, rights, and rules of the people. The three areas that can easily be discussed in terms of consequences or duties and rights include education, health care, and criminal justice potential policies. In order to find a “right” or “good” solution for both education and health care, I think it is best to focus on only the consequences of the proposals which is known as Consequentialism. However, potential criminal justice policy’s…

    • 1410 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Given these points felons right to vote is a written law and is against the law if it is written in the constitution the state is not allowing ex-felons having the right to vote is considered unlawful. Getting right to vote restored is one of the ways ex-felons can use to get back in the working society and starting a new after being incarcerated for a long period of time, for them it could be a joyous event or a stepping stone in their…

    • 1347 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The sole purpose of prison is to punish criminals for crimes they have committed, protect citizens from crime, and rehabilitate those individuals to be honest, law-abiding citizens once they are released back into the public. Wilbert Rideau, author of “Why Prisons Don’t Work”, was in the Louisiana State Penitentiary and has first-hand experience with how the prison system works. Prison is the punishment, but the punishments within the prison are inhumane and ineffective. High re-offense rates show that the public is not being protected from criminals; nor, are they rehabilitating those individuals to be productive citizens. Prisons are harming the individuals inside of them more than helping, prisons do not work.…

    • 1170 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The illusion of death row inmates fitting a cookie cutter description is not true. Inmates on death row come from various socio-economic backgrounds and careers. Not all death row inmates are guilty. In 2004, the state of Texas executed Cameron Todd Willingham for allegedly setting his home on fire, killing his three daughters. However, it was the work of the Innocence Project (Garland, September, 13, 2010) proving the forensic and informant attested in court was invalid and just not true; hence, an innocent man was executed.…

    • 375 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Since our nation’s Constitution outlines rights that citizens are entitled to, some argue that voting restrictions imposed on convicted felons deprive them of these Constitutional rights and consider this unequal treatment. Others argue that the status of being a convicted felon legally justifies unequal treatment and the right to vote should only be given to law-abiding citizens. The reinstatement of voting rights should not be automatically granted, rather the felon’s individual rights should be restored only after approval of his application to his state’s…

    • 907 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Superior 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

    Persuasive Essay On Felons

    • 1173 Words
    • 5 Pages

    A felon being an active, but confined contributing member of a community helps with convalescence, disenfranchisement for felons has helped create a voting privilege racial divide and everyone deserve a second chance. It aids the community by solidification of its voting base. At the end of the day felons should be given back his or her right after all protocol is met, it is a must his or her voice gets heard just like the rest of us in the world.…

    • 1173 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Defining Felon Disenfranchisement Felon Disenfranchisement is the removing of a felon’s civil liberties while incarcerated and even past their prison sentence (Nation Conference of state Legislatures, 2016). Consequently, felon disenfranchisement could be seen as a very retributive punishment for felons. Individual states determine which rights are removed and may include: voting rights, eligibility for financial aid, the right to bear arms, the right to hold a jury, and other fundamental American rights. (Hammack, 2009). Many of these rights that are taken away are essential to the American way of life.…

    • 129 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    A Caged Country: Mass Incarceration in America Mass incarceration is an indication of the downfall of America because too many people are carelessly thrown into jails and prisons, it prohibits progress amongst “minority” communities, and hinders the country’s economy by increasing unnecessary debt. Although some are opposed to limiting mass incarceration because they believe it may hinder public safety, it is not the most effective route to reaching public safety. Mass incarceration has only become a major issue in the United States within the past 40 years. Once one is in the hands of the legal system you are forced to work for the prison, which is considered a legal form of slavery. For this reason, many believe that the rise in incarcerated…

    • 1108 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Evidence Based Ethics

    • 1076 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Criminal Justice The field of Criminal Justice is an ever-changing discipline that has recently swelled in importance within the United States. This is most likely due in fact to our alarmingly high recidivism and incarceration rate, which is currently towering above the rest of the countries of the world. With a problem of such a magnitude comes a multiplitude of solutions, each of which have varied from decade to decade. Until recently however, these solutions were typically designed to disregard the individual in favor of a more unilateral, streamlined process, which attempted to alleviate the pressure on the bloated Criminal Justice System, at the cost of the individual.…

    • 1076 Words
    • 4 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
  • Great Essays

    Many Americans are aware that little is being done about the current issue involving the increasing prison population in their country. As of two years ago, The United States was home to less than five percent of the population in the world, yet home to approximately one fifth of all prisoners in the world. This has become a problem that has been extensively discussed in recent years. This issue has and will continue to negatively affect the image of the United States, its citizens, and its law enforcement agencies. It seems as though the United States has been overcome by an obsession with prison.…

    • 960 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Great Essays

    Correctional Ideology

    • 1878 Words
    • 8 Pages

    “The correctional ideology refers to a body of ideas and practices that pertain to the processing of offenders, as determined by law.” There are three main correctional ideologies: punishment, rehabilitation, and prevention. Throughout history, these have been the methods used to deal with offenders. The make-up of these ideologies connects to the public’s opinion of the criminals. Whether society has chosen an “eye for an eye,” a more humane standard, or a hope to prevent crime, these ideologies have no doubt changed throughout time to accommodate the public’s needs.…

    • 1878 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Training those Incarcerated States across America continually must attend to the mass incarcerations that plague their prisons. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, “The number of prisoners held by state and federal correctional authorities on December 31, 2014 was 1,561,500” (Carson, 2015). This large number has complications that come along with it, including the legal implications, which some Americans conceive to include the violation of human standards and constitutional rights. As criminals will continue to forge ahead in criminal behavior leading way to the continuation of incarceration of convicted individuals, this predicament cannot begin to become controlled until a solution is chosen.…

    • 1615 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    In the last 40 years, incarceration in the United States has reached epidemic proportions. We have the highest incarceration rate in the world; we hold 5% of the world’s population, but house 25% of the world’s prisoners (Kelly 2015). The use of incarceration has gradually become a more acceptable and more used form of punishment. As a result, our prison population is overflowing with offenders ranging from petty theft criminals to violent offenders. As cited in the textbook, purposes of our justice system should be retribution, deterrence, incapacitation, and rehabilitation, (Clear, Reisig, & Cole 2016, p.72-73) but we focus far too much on punishment first and rehabilitation second, if ever.…

    • 1156 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays