*frowns*

[conuly]

From an article on inmate voting in the Times...

"I just was horrified when I realized they could vote," said Mary Black Andrews, a state representative from York, Me., whose first husband was a Maine state trooper who was shot and killed in the line of duty. "I just don't think that they deserve that right if they've been convicted of a violent crime."

*blinks*

I'm sorry, please explain the logic. Somebody commits a violent crime and suddenly their ability to reason is horrifically impaired AND they have no stake in this country at all?

Moreover, rights aren't something you deserve or earn. They're something you get just by being there.

I'm not arguing about this, seriously. I'm sure people can come up with many more coherant arguments against inmate voting than how "horrified" you are. I'll just sit here and stew a while.

Comments

[frogmajick.livejournal.com]

Once you are convicted of a felony and sentenced to prison you have become a ward of the state.

As a ward of the state, you have lost all rights regarding decision making for yourself. The state tells you where to sleep, when to eat, what work you must do. You CAN refuse to comply, but when you do that you lose priviliges and generally make life harder on yourself. You have limited freedoms, including freedom of speech.

Another factor is there are federal prisons and state prisons and different laws cover different things. However, while incarcerated you may not cast a vote, you can't say the pledge of allegiance or salute the flag (well, that's in military prison. It may not apply to other prisons).

You do not lose basic human rights. This is where the whole "cruel and unusual punishment" comes into it. This all depends on the facility you are in though. There's a lot of debate right now about Maricopa county jail and thier reinstitution of chain gangs and requiring people to wear pink underpants.

What it comes down to is losing the right to vote is part of your punishment. Once released most states give you that right back. Depending on the area you may or may not be able to own a gun ever again, and certainly not while on probation or parole.

See, it's not so much that felons can't make a decision or have lost the ability to reason. It's that when you are convicted you get punished, and losing your vote, essentially your voice in society, is part of the punishment.