ANSWERS: 5
  • I don't see why not. Once they pay their debt to society they're entitled to have their Contitutional rights restored.
    • DancesWithWolves
      Thanks for your comments
  • Well...it's surprising to me that the government CAN restrict convicted felons from voting. After all: voting (after reaching a certain age) is a Constitutional right, and (clearly) disallowing someone the vote based on their criminal record is discriminatory (note: in OR out of prison). NEVERTHELESS, since the law DOES allow that restriction (despite the Constitution), I agree that convicted felons should not be allowed to vote. There's something to be said for the idea of "rule by the law-abiding majority" (as opposed to the alternate possibility "rule by the majority, even if the majority are convicted criminals").
    • Army Veteran
      You don't have Constitutional rights in prison - they're suspended.
    • www.bible-reviews.com
      That's not true, of course. If that WERE true, then (for example) imagine all of the inmates who - being suspected of murder - would and could legally be summarily executed without trial. CERTAIN Constitutional rights are CURTAILED (such as freedom of speech, for example), but MOST Constitutional rights are rights that are still enjoyed by prisoners.
    • Linda Joy
      Federal and state laws govern the establishment and administration of prisons as well as the rights of the inmates. Although prisoners do not have full constitutional rights, they are protected by the Eighth Amendment's prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment. This protection also requires that prisoners be afforded a minimum standard of living. For example, in Brown v. Plata, the Supreme Court upheld a court-mandated population limit to curb overpopulation which violated the Eighth Amendment in California prisons. Regardless, prisoners retain some constitutional rights, such as due process in their right to administrative appeals and a right of access to the parole process. Additionally, the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment applies to prison inmates, protecting them against unequal treatment on the basis of race, sex, and creed, and the Model Sentencing and Corrections Act, created by the Uniform Law Commission in 1978, provides that a confined person has a protected interest in freedom from discrimination on the basis of race, religion, national origin, or sex. Prisoners also have rights to speech and religion, to the extent these rights do not interfere with their status as inmates.
  • I think felons who are released from prison, once their parole and probation are finished should be refranchised and allowed to vote again. It seems like "cruel and unusual" punishment to continue to punish these people by removing their rights for life.
    • DancesWithWolves
      Thank you so much for your help :)
  • I believe if you did your time you should be permitted to vote.
    • DancesWithWolves
      Thank you :)
  • yes they have had their punishment
    • DancesWithWolves
      Thanks for sharing your comment

Copyright 2023, Wired Ivy, LLC

Answerbag | Terms of Service | Privacy Policy