Restoring ex-felons’ voting rights could make Florida safer

Last week, Florida voters made the historic decision to automatically restore voting rights to people who have been convicted of a felony when they complete their sentences. This is a laudable step in re-integrating the 1.5 million previously disenfranchised Floridians, but more work remains to be done.

Unfortunately, voter enfranchisement played as a partisan issue in the run-up to the elections. Some critics said that allowing people with a criminal record to vote was just a cynical ploy to register more Democratic voters in a critical swing state. This worn-out claim trivializes the importance of voting rights and ignores the overwhelming moral and practical arguments in favor of restoring them.

Our system of law is based on the bedrock beliefs that punishment should be proportional and limited, and that individuals, endowed with equal dignity and value, are capable of change. We want people to be held accountable for their actions, and then to live as responsible citizens when their punishment is complete. When there is no public safety interest at stake, withholding voting rights and other marks of full citizenship undermines this foundation. To hold onto a perceived political advantage, it pushes people who have paid their debt into unending second-class status.

Charles Colson, the founder of Prison Fellowship®, was a staunch Republican and long-time Florida resident who spent many years unable to vote because of his criminal record. In a Washington Post op-ed he observed, “Sound public policy would teach us that if we want to turn ex-offenders into responsible citizens, we must demand of them responsible behavior. And once they demonstrate responsible behavior, what possible justification is there, beyond scoring political points during an election, for stripping them of their civil rights for the rest of their lives?”

The true issue at stake in Amendment 4 was not the scoring of political points, but what Floridians believe about criminal justice: Do we believe people lose their dignity and potential when convicted of a crime, or should we hold them accountable in ways that offer avenues to change, contribute, and make amends?

By passing Amendment 4, Florida headed in the right direction. Yet Floridians who have been convicted of a felony will still run into frequent reminders of their limitations. Though they can now cast a ballot, other obstacles — like barriers to housing, employment, and occupational licensing — remain. The dark cloud of their criminal history follows them everywhere.

It’s time to tackle the full breadth of these issues. Far from endangering communities, giving people with a criminal record a chance to succeed benefits us all. Where it’s easier for formerly incarcerated people to participate in society, fewer crimes are committed. A 2012 study indicates that recidivism is significantly lower in states that restore voting rights.

Those who have served their time should have a pathway to become contributing citizens. If we want to break the cycle of crime in Florida communities, we must remove the ball and chain that binds people to their past for a lifetime.

Craig DeRoche is senior vice president of advocacy and public policy at Prison Fellowship, the nation’s largest Christian nonprofit serving prisoners, former prisoners, and their families.

AP The true issue in Amendment 4 was not political points, but what Floridians believe about criminal justice, writes contributor Craig DeRouche, who supports reforms such as the restoration of ex-felon voting rights in Virginia, which was announced above in 2016.