disenfranchised

11 May 2006

Liz Garrigan thinks it’s a good thing that 4 million American citizens (including 13% of African-American men) are prohibited from voting because they committed a felony:

Sorry, but I can’t get worked up about the “injustice” of felony convicts not being able to vote. I save my compassion for innocents, those who haven’t committed acts of violence against others, and, in general, those oppressed people and animals who’ve done nothing to deserve their plight.

She ought to be sorry, because this is a pretty stupid statement. First, not every felon has committed an act of violence (three words: War. On. Drugs.), and second, even if they did, why would that preclude their voting? Incidentally, felony investigations and convinctions are on the rise, while violent crime is decreasing. (Source: USDOJ)

The Sentencing Project has a good section about Felony Disenfranchisement.