The Disenfranchisement of Ex-felons

by Hull, Elizabeth A.; Conyers, John, Jr.

• ISBN13: 9781592131853
• ISBN10: 1592131859
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-02-28
• Publisher: Temple Univ Pr

Summary

In fourteen states some or all former prisoners who have completed their sentences, their paroles, and the terms of their probation are prohibited from voting. This short book provides an overview of the history, nature, and consequences of denying ex-felons the right to vote. Readers learn of state practices, the arguments that have been used in court houses, legislatures, and the press to justify disenfranchisement, and the attempts to remedy the situation through recourse to state and federal governments. Elizabeth Hull enumerates the disproportionate effect of these policies on African-Americans and the ways current criminal justice practices cause those effects. The book contains an Appendix on the 2004 election.

Author Biography

Elizabeth A. Hull is Professor of Political Science at Rutgers University, Newark.

Table of Contents

Foreword	p. ix
Acknowledgments	p. xiii
Introduction	p. 1
The History of Disenfranchisement Laws	p. 16
The Toll on Minority Communities	p. 24
Collateral Damages and Clemency	p. 30
Justifications for Disenfranchisement: Pragmatic, Principled, and Philosophical	p. 43
Reform: Interest Groups and Strategies	p. 55
State Reforms	p. 68
Voting: Constitutional and Civic Concerns	p. 81
Constitutional Challenges and the Voting Rights Act	p. 96
Cruel and Unusual Punishment and International Law	p. 114
The Political Consequences of Disenfranchisement	p. 127
Thinking the Unthinkable	p. 138
Afterword	p. 149
Notes	p. 155
Selected Bibliography	p. 197
Index	p. 211
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