On April 5, a majority of the Florida Board of Executive Clemency announced that most ex-felons will regain the right to vote, at least as long as those particular Board members are in office. Their terms all expire in January 2011.
The Board, by a vote of 3-1, said it will make restoration of voting rights automatic, except in the case of murderers, sexual predators, and ex-felons who still haven’t made restitution to their victims. The members of the Board are the four statewide state constitutional office-holders: Governor Charlie Crist, Attorney General Bill McCollum, Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink, and Agriculture Commissioner Charles Bronson. When they leave office, the future office-holders could theoretically reverse the policy.
Three of the four officers are Republicans; the Chief Financial Officer is a Democrat. Governor Crist worked hard to implement this policy. He was opposed by the Attorney General. Since the plan needed 3 votes, the swing vote was the Agriculture Commissioner, whose vote had been in doubt until April 5.
I have applied for restoration of my rights two yrs ago, with a reply that they were 2yrs behind in processing.
Now that this new law has been enacted, what do I do now? Do I automatically have the right to vote?
Criminals have more rights than their victims and lawful citizens already. If you have been convicted of a felon, then suffer the consequences. (There are very few incidents where a person has been wrongfully convicted).
Inmates have free medical treatment, food, tv, gyms, school (including college), & internet usage, that “we” lawful citizens pay for. While serving your time, for the criminal act that you did, you don’t pay taxes for these luxuries, we do.
Statistics show that a majority of criminals are repeat offenders. So when criminals are released, due to “good behavoir” or “time served” and return to jail/prison for another illegal act that they have committed; I ask this: what exactly was learned during your free education that I paid for?!
Criminals have more rights than their victims and lawful citizens already. If you have been convicted of a felon, then suffer the consequences. (There are very few incidents where a person has been wrongfully convicted).
Inmates have free medical treatment, food, tv, gyms, school (including college), & internet usage, that “we” lawful citizens pay for. While serving your time, for the criminal act that you did, you don’t pay taxes for these luxuries, we do.
Statistics show that a majority of criminals are repeat offenders. So when criminals are released, due to “good behavoir” or “time served” and return to jail/prison for another illegal act that they have committed; I ask this: what exactly was learned during your free education that I paid for?!
What a fantastic decision! We are closer to having truer representation!
Emma Tyler you are a moron.
This is a subject that deserves much more debate and national attention. Once a person is convicted of a crime, the sentence adjudicated, and then served the person has paid their debt to society and should be free to conduct themselves as any other citizen. Where in the constitution or bill or rights does it say that a person convicted of a crime and having served his/her sentence has to give up the right to vote. In many countries people actually vote from prison. I know this scares some folks…but then so does the boogie man.
Emma where do your information from? nothing is free in jail all inmates have to pay to see a medical doctor and pay for any perscriptions they may recieve. they pay for the use of the gym also and tv isnt free either..Here in boston they have to pay for it all and im sure it isnt much different down there..Its people who think like you who needs to get educated about our justice system.I think its a good idea to give them back some of their rights maybe they will take a different path and not want to return to prison.
Emma,
Your a typical Florida cracker. Everyone should have the right to vote. It’s not a luxury to be in prison. I would bet half the so called criminals in Florida have been entrapped by FLPD.
You spend a day in jail, and see if jail is a luxury.
The main reason many criminals RETURN to jail after being released is because they are alienated by society. I’m not making excuses for murderers, rapists, those of a severely violent nature, but when someone pays their debt to society, if it was a felony, they cant work in most cases, they cant vote, what CAN they do? If they have no job skills to be SELF-employed, what do they do? They have to EAT…they have to have their lights on…water bills, etc. DO come into play, felon or not.
Emma wrote: “Criminals have more rights than their victims and lawful citizens already…(There are very few incidents where a person has been wrongfully convicted).”
It is evident your knowledge of the prison system(s) is cursory at best.
Criminals have their rights limited to protections against mistreatment – which is mostly lip service to appease civil rights activists. Once released, the ‘stigma’ of criminality is never removed; even though the felon has in theory ‘paid for’ his crime.
In order for an incarcerated person to achieve ‘time off’ for any reason, there are behavior and work and usually, programmatic requirements that must be met. Work preformed by inmates is done for almost no compensation for the criminal, but the state will usually get the low bid. Where do those profits go?
The ‘statistics’ you mention have shown that these programs are correlated to reductions in recidivism. Reductions in recidivism sounds like tax dollars well spent to me.
Lastly, I would say that your comment that ‘there are very few wrongful convictions’ is uninformed at best, and really, just plain mean-spirited. DNA has exonerated a record number of men (mostly black) each year since the turn of the century.
Be well.
“Criminals have more rights than their victims and lawful citizens already. If you have been convicted of a felon, then suffer the consequences. (There are very few incidents where a person has been wrongfully convicted).”
There are many people who are in prison on bogus “offenses” for things that shouldn’t even be crimes. For instance, those who are convicted of non-violent drug “offenses” and other victimless “crimes”. These people should certainly be allowed to vote.
When a citizen commits a crime there are laws that when broken require punishment. When a citizen pays their debt back to society for breaking the laws they should not be penalized the rest of their life by having liberties restricted like voting.
It only took 140 years for the good christian folks of Florida to say enough is enough. About time they remembered what Jesus said about foregiveness.
I guess this action leaves Kentucky and Virginia in the NO column!
Visit: http://OsiSpeaks.com or http://OsiSpeaks.org
I agree with Lee! Emma is a moron!
Not all ex-felon’s should be allowed to vote obviously, but not all of them should not be allowed to vote. I know you heard it before, but people do make mistakes. So, the law should set into place that once an ex-felon is released from prison they should be allowed to vote within a certain timeframe. Would that hurt!? I mean if they are going to be a repeat offender they will probably be in jail in less than a year. But if they are serious about staying out of trouble and getting a second chance then by the time the next election rolls around and they are not in prison. I say let them vote! All the time they spent in prison they prolly know more about politics than we do! So hush Emma!
One last time I have seen with my own eyes a gentleman go to the federal prison and has been out for 4 years, and is doing well legally! Matter of fact he is working for a national company. Do you drink Pepsi!? 🙂
Oh and I agree with Beth too lol.
I have read a lot about this and most of you are still stating opinions. can anyone give me any actual information?
P.S. I think they should have the right to vote
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