Agreed that we need to talk about this more. Say you get a ticket you can’t pay because your car broke down or you couldn’t miss work at your minimum wage job. You could be doing everything legally right and still have a warrant out for your arrest, get put through the “justice” system, and eventually lose your job, your livelihood, and be set up for recidivism. If you’re charged with a felony, or are locked up, you cannot exercise your right to vote. It’s so easy to be caught up in a cycle that systematically strips away your rights and ability to provide for yourself and your family.
Disenfranchisement is a broad and complex issue that is caused by policy choices and local/subjective policing of historically overburdened communities, like BIPOC/LGBTQ+/disabled peoples. I’m sure it’s also much more involved than I can speak to. And don’t get me started on how for-profit and private prisons everywhere essentially use slave labor to make money. With the Supreme Court effectively criminalizing homelessness, you’re getting more inmate labor on the way. I believe inmates should have access to education and federal minimum wage jobs so they have incentive to get out and contribute to society, and aren’t forced to start their lives over just to make ends meet. Especially for those that were locked up for low level crimes. It doesn’t make sense to damn someone to hell for small crimes and never allow them to get back on their feet.
Agreed that we need to talk about this more. Say you get a ticket you can’t pay because your car broke down or you couldn’t miss work at your minimum wage job. You could be doing everything legally right and still have a warrant out for your arrest, get put through the “justice” system, and eventually lose your job, your livelihood, and be set up for recidivism. If you’re charged with a felony, or are locked up, you cannot exercise your right to vote. It’s so easy to be caught up in a cycle that systematically strips away your rights and ability to provide for yourself and your family.
Disenfranchisement is a broad and complex issue that is caused by policy choices and local/subjective policing of historically overburdened communities, like BIPOC/LGBTQ+/disabled peoples. I’m sure it’s also much more involved than I can speak to. And don’t get me started on how for-profit and private prisons everywhere essentially use slave labor to make money. With the Supreme Court effectively criminalizing homelessness, you’re getting more inmate labor on the way. I believe inmates should have access to education and federal minimum wage jobs so they have incentive to get out and contribute to society, and aren’t forced to start their lives over just to make ends meet. Especially for those that were locked up for low level crimes. It doesn’t make sense to damn someone to hell for small crimes and never allow them to get back on their feet.