This unit involves the subject of the classifying criminal offenses, such as what is to be considered a felony, which can vary from state to state jurisdictions.  In this unit, you learned that a felony conviction could cause a person to lose certain civil rights, like the right to vote.  Do you think the loss of this civil right because of being convicted of a crime, which is classified as a felony is fair? Why or why not? 

REPLY TO MY CLASSMATE’S RESPONSE TO THE ABOVE QUESTION AND EXPLAIN WHY YOU AGREE? (A MINIMUM OF 125 WORDS or MORE EACH QUESTION)

                                                             CLASSMATE’S POST

I believe the loss of voting rights due to a felony conviction is fair, to a certain point. The punitive portion of any sentence is designed for the convicted person to pay their debt to society for the crime they were convicted of. Part of the punishment should be the experience of loss of certain rights to show the importance of civil liberties and the importance of remaining a law-abiding citizen. In Louisiana, felon voting rights are restored after the full sentence is complete.

In May 2018, Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards signed House Bill 265 to restore voting rights to some felons still on probation or parole. The premise behind this bill was that many of the persons on probation or parole are gainfully employed, tax paying citizens. However, they were not being allowed to vote for representatives that were essentially overseeing tax dollars that they were contributing.

I do not agree with this legislation. A person who has been convicted of a felony and approved for the privilege of probation or parole should be allowed to regain their voting eligibility only after their time has expired. The allotted time, although on probation or parole and not physically in a penal facility, is still a part of the original sentence given at the time of conviction. To allow the right to be restored early is essentially ignoring the punishment portion of the sentence and allowing the convicted felon to re-gain the removed civil right before the restrictions have been lifted.