Convicted felons should have the right to collect their reward for winning the lottery. Today, felons already face a myriad of sanctions on account of their criminal history. For instance, felons may lose voting right, the right to bear arms, and limited employment opportunities. Moreover, thwarting felons from the chance of winning a lottery ticket is an unnecessary infringement on one’s civil rights. In the end, if an individual has enough money to purchase a lottery ticket he or she should be able to receive their prize.
Many advocates for felons regaining voting rights believe the disenfranchisement of these felons is because of their race. Hull (2006) states, “according to U.S. government statistics two-thirds of those imprisoned are members of racial and ethnic minorities” (para. 7). These statistics show that more minorities are incarcerated than Caucasian people, but that doesn’t mean that it’s because of their race. For example, statistics also show that more men are incarcerated than women, so does that mean that it’s because of their sex? Of course not, the fact of the matter is that men commit more crimes than women because men are typically more aggressive, the same reasoning applies to race.
Felon Disenfranchisement: Is it Constitutional and Should Felons Be Allowed to Vote? Felon disenfranchisement is defined as, “Any convicted felon currently incarcerated or ex-felon now on parole or probation who cannot vote. ”(Brooks, 2005). There are nearly 5.3 million Americans who have been barred from voting due to criminal conviction (Okechukwu, 2022). This is important to consider because the United States is unlike any other democratic country in the world by doing this.
Why we should incarcerate drug users Currently one of the less heated but still talked about debates is the issue of what we should do with those who have been caught using illegal substances. Some people say that we should be giving them rehab, and some say that they deserve to be in their. Both sides have their points, but the evidence points towards incarceration being a better option. The reason our judicial system incarcerates drug abusers are because enforcement will discourage drug use, it will keep them away from innocent people, and it will punish the addicts so they know not to do it again.
In The United States’ early years, American citizens brawled against the government for basic rights, including the right to vote. Blood, sweat, and tears found solace in American soil as the bitter fight against oppression came with a forceful, violent stride. When women fought for the right to vote in nineteen thirteen while marching down Pennsylvania avenue, fellow American citizens assaulted them while government officials stood idly by. When African Americans fought for the right to vote on a Sunday afternoon in Selma, Alabama, American police officers assaulted hundreds of them and blood stained the warm concrete. This brutal trend of protesting for voting privileges continued in the twentieth century until the government eventually eliminated
Texas Felons Seeking Rights Stripped of their voting rights. Not having the right to bear arms. No opportunities at specific job fields.
Felon disenfranchisement did not start in the United States. In fact, the practice of felon disenfranchisement began in ancient Greece and Rome before evolving even more in England with “outlawry”, by the time this practice came to the United States it began to evolve into what it is today based on the other nations practices (Grady, 2012, pp. 443-445). Felon disenfranchisement, for those who do not know, is taking away a felon’s right to vote. Usually, this only occurs when they are incarcerated, but some states also do not allow the ex-felons to vote even when they are back in regular society. In Michigan, felons are granted their right to vote again once they are freed from incarceration.
One side to this controversy would be that because of the screenings it would lower and prevent the use of drugs in poverty struck households. Many law officials believe that if a user had to submit to drug test they would get clean because the need for the government assistance would be of greater priority than abusing illegal drugs. Though this may be true in some situations, poor social classes are not the only citizens abusing drugs. It is well known that drugs are abused by people of all social classes. America needs to broaden their view point on this social matter because it effects everyone, not just those who live in poverty.
V. PRISON REFORMS The main part of this research paper is the reforms for the conditions of prison and make prison a better place for prisoner and make an alternative for incarceration. The prison Reform for prevention of overcrowding in prisons: A ten-point method for reducing the overcrowding in the prisons all over the world, these points are1: 1. Collect and use data to inform a rational, humane and cost-effective use of prison.
Crimes are happening around us whether we pay attention to them or not. Those crimes as dangerous as murder are committed by all ages but should younger criminal in their juvenile age received the same punishment as older criminals. On June 25, 2012, the Supreme Court ruled that juveniles committed murder could not be sentenced to life in prison because it violates the Eighth Amendment.(On-Demand Writing Assignment Juvenile Justice) Advocates on the concurring side believes that mandatory life in prison is wrong and should be abolish. However, the dissenting side believe that keeping the there should be a life in prison punishment for juvenile who commit heinous crime regardless of their age.
Sentencing Sentencing occurs after a defendant has been convicted of a crime. During the sentencing process, the court issues a punishment that involves a fine, imprisonment, capital punishment, or some other penalty. In some states, juries may be entitled to determine a sentence. However, sentencing in most states and federal courts are issued by a judge. To fully understand the sentencing phase of criminal court proceedings, it is important to examine how sentencing affects the state and federal prison systems, learn the meanings of determinate and indeterminate sentencing, and understand the impact Proposition 57 has had on sentencing in California.
Should Convicted Felons be Entitled to More Rights? Everyday thousands of individuals are incarcerated into the United States prison system. As soon as these jailed individuals start their term, they give up multiple rights they had prior to being convicted. Each convicted felon is treated the same regardless of the crime they committed and lose the same amount of rights. The amount of constitutional rights taken away from convicted felons should depend on the severity of their crime.
Those who find themselves sentenced to time in a penitentiary, jail, or prison are at risk of either being broken or strengthened by the time they spend behind bars. There is a great debate of whether or not the prison system in the United States is positive or negative. The following will briefly highlight the positives, negatives, and possible alternatives for our nation's prison system. First, there is a long list of negatives that the prison system in America brings. The prison system is filled with crime, hate, and negativity almost as much as the free world is.
With millions of criminal convictions a year, more than two million people may end up behind bars(Gross). According to Samuel Gross reporter for The Washington Post, writes that also “even one percent amounts to tens of thousands of tragic [wrongful conviction] errors”(Gross). Citizens who are wrongfully convicted are incarcerated for a crime he or she did not commit. Many police officers, prosecutors, and judges are responsible for the verdict that puts innocents into prison. To be able to get exonerated many wait over a decade just to get there case looked at, not many are able to have the opportunity of getting out.
the main purpose for this was to stop drug abuse and to control the trafficking of marijuana. The CSA makes it a federal felony to manufacture, distribute, dispense or possess marijuana. In 2002 california legalized the medical use of marijuana. A dispute was brought up, weather federal authorities could constitutionally inforce CSA against this disabled woman who under the law was growing and using the substance. She claimed that wasn't involved in trading the substance and Congress should be able to outlaw it.
