Fairness and Felons: A Push to Enfranchise Prisoners
Depending on where one sits, Joseph "Jazz" Hayden is the Spiderman of a new civil rights movement or a danger to the underpinnings of the judicial system.He's an ex-con. He served 10 years on a manslaughter rap that he insists was self-defense. While in prison he came to a realization: Convicts that are "stripped of their freedom and at the mercy of their keepers" are probably the least powerful people in this country. So he put together a jailhouse think tank to find a way to change the balance. Its conclusion: Get prisoners to vote. The problem is, only two states - Maine and Vermont - now allow it.
So Mr. Hayden's turned his freedom into a crusade. He's at the forefront of a movement to restore voting rights to felons and ex-felons. And it's had some success. Since 1996, eight states have made it easier for ex-cons and probationers to vote.
The Christian Science Monitor has more on this controversial movement here.
Comments
have a son that is a felon need help on getting a job. with a felon
Posted by: renee Boyer | April 19, 2004 6:00 AM
I have a felony, and I have three kids to feed, they don't want you on welfare and they don't want you to support yourself. so that would mean that they don't want you around period.
Posted by: sherry | June 14, 2006 12:01 PM
WHERE DO YOU GO FOR JOBS FOR FELONS? MY BROTHER
SERVE TIME FOR A CRIME AND YET HE CAN'T FEED HIMSELF. IT IS SO SAD THAT HE CAN'T AFFORD TO TAKE HIS KIDS TO MCDONALD'S. HE IS SO VERY HUMBLE AND EAGERED TO WORK, BUT YET NO ONE GIVES HIM A CHANCE.
Posted by: SHARON BOURNE | October 24, 2006 6:48 PM
Real jobs for felons, not "resources"
I am President of the company I work for. I am diligently searching for folks like yourself that are having trouble finding work due to mishaps in their past. This is a big deal and a real opportunity for you and others alike. I need a lot of support for a nationwide endeavor to free those that have served their time and would simply like to start over. Life gives us choices, sometimes we make wrong ones, does this make us incapable of making positive changes in our lives and even others? Contact me, I have job openings and even prefer those with criminal history as they tend to appreciate the opportunity to prove themselves.
I have managed to build a company designed around one simple thought,
Everyone deserves opportunity. Thanks, I look forward to your thoughts, and feel free to give out my contact info.
PS, You can work from anywhere in the US, and pay is hourly, paid weekly
Lawrence Gary
protokol2006@gmail.com
Posted by: Lawrence Gary | January 30, 2007 3:10 PM