Enfranchising Convicted Felons: Current Research on Opinions Towards Felon Voting Rights

Abstract

ABSTRACT Due to their original intent, collateral consequences, such as felon voting restrictions, are still held to be civil in nature, but increasing evidence shows that over time their results have become punitive. Since felon disenfranchisement occurs as a collateral consequence once an individual has been convicted of a felony it arguably qualifies as an issue under the broader subject of punishment. If felony disenfranchisement was legally considered a punishment in 2007, would evolving standards of decency support its continued use? To answer this question this article will explore how punishments philosophies in the U.S. have changed in the last thirty years, then it will examine current opinion research that focuses on the re-enfranchisement or enfranchisement of convicted felons.