Felon disenfranchisement refers to the practice of barring individuals who are convicted of felony crimes from voting in political elections. Although this is common in many countries around the world, 6.1 million Americans are prohibited from voting due to felony disenfranchisement.
Additionally, this disenfranchisement includes the legal means of denying access to employment, educational opportunities, and welfare programs to those with felony records.
The Sentencing Project examines what felon disenfranchisement looks like.
The following video examines how felon disenfranchisement keeps citizens from exercising their civil right to vote (Now This News, 2020):
Using your reading assignments, intellipath® lessons, and other scholarly resources, address the following a 200-word post:
- Why do you believe that some groups (political and otherwise) would view felon disenfranchisement as a good thing?
- What do you believe is the primary impact that felon disenfranchisement has on politics?
- How do you think the felon “label” affects an offender, the offender’s family, and the community?
