discussion

Posted: August 12th, 2013

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Discussion

            Disenfranchisement of felons is the process by which some people are denied their right to voting. This is because they are felons serving time for the wrongs they did to society. This practice dates back to Roman and Greek era. It was used as a form of punishment to give criminals civil death. This is through denying them the basic human right to vote. People have different views about felony disenfranchisement. It is a form of racial discrimination as criminals are denied their basic human right. They are denied the right to choose the person that will represent them in congress. A representative is supposed to defend people’s interest. A representative should represent the values that a person upholds. If criminals are denied this right, the person chosen cannot represent them because he or she shall not know what they want.

Felony disenfranchisement is accompanied with many other things. People are denied basic human rights. After criminals have served their time in prison, they are normally subjected to discrimination in work places. There are employers that do not want to employ convicted felons. This makes it hard for them to be assimilated back into the community. If the convicts had been given the right to vote, they would have elected representatives that fight for their rights.

By denying them this right, they are being subjected to cruel and unusual punishment. They have already paid their debt to society and should not continue to suffer because of one mistake. Felony disenfranchisement is therefore not a rational punishment process, but more of an infringement of the rights of the felons. It is however not a form of racial discrimination as no race is oppressed. It should be abolished or amended for the better of the society.