ABSTRACT
This chapter addresses the political life of criminal offenders, with a particular emphasis on felon disenfranchisement. After a brief historical overview of voting restrictions on felons and ex-felons, we discuss the scope and likely political impact of disenfranchisement on state and national elections. The chapter then considers the question of the “civic reintegration” of large numbers of released offenders. This section draws on some recently collected interview and survey data regarding the political thoughts and attitudes of convicted offenders. The relationships among disenfranchisement, political participation, and recidivism are considered, as well as the merits of current procedures for the restoration of civil rights in some states. Finally, we discuss other barriers to democratic participation, taking stock of existing knowledge and suggesting some potentially promising future avenues of research.
