This is a serious question.
Also, just think about what the electoral map would look like if it wasn't true.
Also, just think about what the electoral map would look like if it wasn't true.
Why do we restrict the voting rights of felons?
- Thread starter sirkickyass
- Start date
I agree that if we release a person from prison back into our society they should be able to be a "whole" citizen. Creating handicaps and giving them fewer liberties all just feeds into recidivism. I'm not saying it's the cause of recidivism, but it's part of it, imo.
I also vehemently oppose things like Megan's law. In my opinion if you're working off the premise that this human being is dangerous to those around him/her then I'm not sure how you justify allowing them to be out of prison in the first place. I question the "justice" of imprisoning so many people in this country, but if we're going to use prison so liberally as a one size fits all solution to crime we should at least agree to keep dangerous people in prison indefinitely.
I also vehemently oppose things like Megan's law. In my opinion if you're working off the premise that this human being is dangerous to those around him/her then I'm not sure how you justify allowing them to be out of prison in the first place. I question the "justice" of imprisoning so many people in this country, but if we're going to use prison so liberally as a one size fits all solution to crime we should at least agree to keep dangerous people in prison indefinitely.
Not to mention the drag this has on the lives of those who are labeled sexual predators but no one in their right mind actually considers what they did as predation. I.E. an barely 18 y.o. banging an almost 17 y.o. 15 years ago or a drunk guy who pees on a tree in a park.
Hartsock
Banned
Will rep you when I can, I agree completely.
TheSilencer1313
Well-Known Member
Completely agree with everything said here.
I'm sure you would agree with prisoners being incarcerated for non-violent crimes as well.
Like possession of illegal substances when that person is in their own home, or walking down the street.
Good luck with that.
Anyhow, why restrict under-18 from voting? I was a taxpayer at age 14...where was my representation?
Because there is no such thing as "justice" and the judicial system is based on the idea of vengeance. Even the idea of prison is suspect. What purpose do prisons serve? It does not seem to provide for an effective deterrence, and it creates a fantastic atmosphere for nurturing violence and criminality. Is it to protect society? Okay, but that is an awfully expensive way to protect society from non-violent offenders (the majority of inmates), and it seems to have no ultimate goal at all. Rehabilitation? That's the most laughable justification as not only is it easily contradicted by real life observations, but it does not even offer a mechanism for how that's supposed to be accomplished.
To make things worse, the system is the way it is because it's a reflection of society's mentality. If someone possesses the intellectual capacity and knowledge to question the system and propose alternatives, s/he will face an uphill battle of people questioning the motives, and an endless stream of accusation of having something to hide.
Long story short, felons cannot vote because punishment requires the punisher and the punished to be unequal. What's a better way to facilitate and reinforce this mentality than stripping away their citizenship privileges?
To make things worse, the system is the way it is because it's a reflection of society's mentality. If someone possesses the intellectual capacity and knowledge to question the system and propose alternatives, s/he will face an uphill battle of people questioning the motives, and an endless stream of accusation of having something to hide.
Long story short, felons cannot vote because punishment requires the punisher and the punished to be unequal. What's a better way to facilitate and reinforce this mentality than stripping away their citizenship privileges?
In your mom and dads vote as you were still a minor.
DutchJazzer
Banned
Wait, congressmen and senators can't vote?