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November 01, 2006
NY Times Editorial: Building Better Citizens
October 28, 2006
Editorial, NY Times
Building Better Citizens
Rhode Island voters will have a chance on Nov. 7 to do the right thing and amend their state Constitution to restore voting rights to felons who have completed their prison sentences. Allowing former convicts to vote strengthens democracy, and helps them to integrate into society and move beyond a life of crime.
Rhode Island, like many states, restores felons’ voting rights only after they have completed not only their prison sentences, but parole and probation. This policy keeps thousands of citizens, many of whom were in for nonviolent crimes, from voting, sometimes for decades. Andres Idarraga, a Brown University student who served more than six years in prison on drug and gun charges, is disqualified from voting for the next 30 years.
Ex-felons go to school, work and pay taxes. Their views about who should represent them should be respected in a democracy. Restoring their right to vote will also help with the critical issue of “re-entry,” helping them fit into society so they do not return to crime. The chief of the Providence police wrote in The Providence Journal that denying released prisoners the vote “weakens the long-term prospects for sustainable rehabilitation.”
If the amendment passes, a new state statute would also take effect requiring the prison system to help former prisoners register when they are released. Across the country, far too little is done to inform ex-prisoners of when their right to vote is restored, and how to go about qualifying to vote. Election officials often do not know the intricacies of the law, and give out incorrect advice. The combination of the constitutional amendment and the statute would make Rhode Island a model for the nation.
Felon disenfranchisement is a relic of another America. It was often done to keep blacks from voting, or to stigmatize ex-offenders. Rhode Island, which was founded by religious dissenters, can strike an important blow for inclusion by allowing people who have paid their debt to society to participate in democracy.
Copyright 2006 The New York Times Company
Posted by lois at November 1, 2006 05:50 PM