Modern sentencing practices are outrageous and out of control. People go to prison for 162 years for stealing a car or 25 to life just for simply making a mistake of leaving their child in the car for no longer than 20 minutes without killing or harming the child. Even the innocent get sentenced major years for crimes they didn’t even commit. Lately sentencing has been crazy, so at this point in time sentence reforming is relevant in this case. To begin with, sentence reforming needs to take place because people are getting way to many years for petty crimes they didn't commit.
From there, the employer is able to refuse to hire them if they have checked yes. If the “felon” needs a place to stay, they can also be discriminated against by public housing. Additionally, in some states, being branded a criminal results in the ineligibility of receiving food stamps. Just as Nixon intended, the so-called “war on drugs” has also disrupted black communities. In cities of extreme incarceration, communities find it hard to reconstruct their economy as people are more than likely working low-paying jobs due to being refused again and again by higher paying jobs for being a criminal.
Even though a misdemeanor is defined as a lesser criminal act and comes with less severe punishments, criminal defense lawyers urge clients not to take misdemeanor charges lightly. The criminal justice system is often unpredictable, but Buntin, Etheredge, & Fowler, LLC in Dothan, AL, wants to help. Here are three reasons to hire a criminal defense attorney if you are facing misdemeanor charges: If You Don’t Have A Record: There are programs in place that may help with a dismissal of charges for those who do not have a criminal record. An experienced criminal defense attorney will help determine if you are eligible for such a program.
“I think the biggest potential impact [of restoring felons’ voting rights] would be changes to the individuals who are elected,-said Bridgett King, a government professor at Auburn University,- You might then see a reversal in the number of state legislatures that are implementing policies to limit options for women’s reproductive
A recently released felon making the right moves then we are denying them the very basic human right to vote. In 2010, out of the voting population, 2.5% were denied the right to vote because of a previous felony conviction. In recent years, 28 states have passed laws that allow convicted felons to vote but only once they have completed their sentence and anything that was given to do upon being released from prison. Once released, this means that they have worked off the punishment that
Convicted felons in the state of Texas are deprived of a multitude of their rights given by the constitution. Convicted felons that have previously served time in a state or county detention center are on a never-ending road where “serving time” never stops. Having the label “convicted felon” means you lose voting rights, the right to bear arms, the right to serve on a jury, the right to travel abroad, the right to live in certain housing or work for certain job fields, and several more. Being stripped of these rights makes day to day life problematic, almost forcing a convicted felon to become homeless. Some people believe that all convicted felons should be stripped of those rights, while others believe that not all convicted felons should be stripped of them.
I'm very impressed with the years of service both Attorneys have given to the legal system. In Georgia a prosecutor for almost 16 years I commend her and all her hard work. The laws in Georgia seem a bit leanit when it comes to Simple Assault, Simple Battery or Battery. Yes these are all misdemeanor offenses, but I believe they will escalade if the punishment isn't more sirvere it's just the beginning of the abuse in my opinon. All three of these misdemeanor offenses are punishable by up to 12 months in jail or on probation or a combination thereof and up to a $1000 fine.
There are a number of reasons that someone may need the help of a criminal defense lawyer. A good one is not cheap, but a conviction on your record can cost you over and over for the rest of your life. First of all are the very real possibilities of large fines and time behind bars. However, even misdemeanor convictions can keep you from getting a good job. Although many potential employers will tell you that they will only check back through 7 years of your criminal history, that is largely a myth.
This is certainly a conflicting issue. While it is fair to value the welfare of law abiding citizens over the welfare of convicted felons, placing restricting on felons presents the issue of those felons lacking the ability to become a contributing member of society. Like you mentioned, that can provide the push needed for them to return to crime rather than working towards a steady life of their own. Further research into the costs and benefits of such restrictions is necessary to determine whether these types of restrictions actually do benefit society overall like they intend to.
While the state of Mississippi, my home state, does provide for the expungement of juvenile records, the actual process of expungement is rare. The reason for this is the state laws, which govern the sealing of all juvenile records. Even though the state law calls for the sealing of juvenile records, juvenile adjudications can be taken into consideration, by judges of the circuit courts, when determining sentences. This records can also be used, and disseminated to others, usually by court order of the youth court. Section 43-21-263 of the Mississippi Code of 1972, provides for the sealing of all juvenile court records, once a person has reached 20 years of age.
Something will always need to be fixed in society because society is a reflection of us, and we are not perfect. Recently, there’s been many issues that have caught the attention of people living all across the world. Things such as police brutality, sexual assault in the workplace, and immigration law, just to name a few, but there’s also been an underlying issue that people are becoming more informed about, and that I believe matters - prison reform. Prison reform matters because in many instances, prisoners are treated inhumanely when they are locked up, and aren’t treated as humans when they have served their time. I believe we can bring about change in the prison system by changing the way we punish people who do commit crimes and focusing more on actual rehabilitation.
A flourishing down town with fine dinning and shops. You are few people shy of the population of Dallas and Austin. Life is great, businesses are growing, Families are happy and there is little to none of poverty. Now imagine, all that gone, within a day. You look out the window or up from the porch you are sitting on and see a dark greenish sky.
The judgment of those who have committed serious crimes is not only arguable but untrustworthy. The right to vote should not return to felons upon completing their sentence because, there is no way of knowing if the individual has since improved their character. Ex cons should have to go a certain amount time without committing any sort of crime before voting rights are restored. While some may feel not permitting felons to vote goes against the eighth amendment, not allowing them to vote is in the people’s best
The current system that incarcerates people over and over is unsustainable and does not lower the crime rate nor encourage prisoner reformation. When non-violent, first time offenders are incarcerated alongside violent repeat offenders, their chance of recidivating can be drastically altered by their experience in prison. Alternative sentencing for non-violent drug offenders could alleviate this problem, but many current laws hinder many possible solutions. Recently lawmakers have made attempts to lower the recidivism rates in America, for example the Second Chance Act helps aid prisoners returning into society after incarceration. The act allows states to appropriate money to communities to help provide services such as education, drug treatment programs, mental health programs, job corps services, and others to aid in offenders returning to society after incarceration (Conyers, 2013).
They have more opportunities because they have not been locked in a cell for a number of years. Instead in restorative justice the offender is required to do things like community service and communicating with the victim of their crime. Giving offenders more options after they have committed a crime can help them get back on their feet because they would have a better chance of getting a job. They would have a better chance of getting a job because they wouldn’t be out of a job as long as if they were in jail for years. Also hopefully by the offender not spending years in jail and doing things like community service they learn their lesson and will be less likely to commit another crime in the future compared to someone who spent years in jail.