hm.. i think that most of them should also.. some of the more minor offenses with extreme rehabilitation should be allowed a rigorous way to apply for their rights back.. but it should be extremely difficult.

oh damn, i just said that not realizing you already did.

although each state is different.

Completely disagree. Politically-motivated crimes should not disenfranchise, lest the peaceful acts of rebellion become outright violent sedition.

For instance: Civil disobedience against perceived injustice by the government.

As always, I dream of a "more perfect Union."

Honest to god, I have no idea what you just said.

Haha, basically, standing up for what you believe in can get you sent to jail. And afterwards, if you have no voice in the political arena, your options go from peaceful means to violent ones.

Yes I think you should still be allowed to vote. Why would you be held to the laws & punishments of this land if you do not have a say in who imposes them?

But they disregarded the laws of the land, so obviously they don't care about them!

Not all prisoners don't care about the laws. What about the ones who are in jail serving time for something they didn't do? Or the ones who are in there for protecting their families? Believe me, I know a lot of the people in jail are going to always break the law, but who are we to take their rights away from them? I'm sure everyone has broken the law at one point or another. There are some pretty stupid laws out there.

Yeah, but unfortunately it has to be one rule for all. Majority of people in prison *are* guilty.

And you have to break a pretty serious law to end up in jail. It's not like smoking pot, or speeding, which are laws most people break on a daily basis.

I'd rather give everyone equal rights than to take away one innocent person's right to vote.

I know people who have been to prison for speeding, I know one person who spent 6 months in prison for slapping someone in the face after the other person punched him, you don't have to break a serious law to be sent to prison, that is a ludicrous suggestion.

Sometimes they feel the laws of the land are unjust and take a stance against them a la civil disobedience?

Of course people in jail should be allowed to vote. I hate the whole idea that people in jail are all dirty, bad people. They made a bad mistake, but that should not define their entire being. They're still mothers and fathers, daughters and sons. Sure, of course there's some people in jail who have killed or raped others and have no good excuse for these actions. But maybe one of those rapists was sexually abused by his father for his whole life, lived a life in social isolation and emotional abuse, and so raping is the only thing he knows. Or maybe one of those people in jail got caught with a large amount of drugs, because they were desperately trying to fit in with a new group of friends after being teased their whole lives because of their weight. Or maybe another one of those people in jail is a woman who finally beat up her husband after suffering his abuse for too long, or a single mother who stole food from a grocery store to feed her children because she couldn't afford to buy it.

I'm not trying to justify the actions that people have taken, but my point is - people in jail are still people. They may not be as different from you than you think. And so, of course, they should not lose one of the most basic human rights.

I mean, I've broken the law too - speeding, underage drinking, I even stole a lipstick from a convenience store once when I was 11 haha. But just because people make bad choices sometimes, it doesn't make them inherently bad or less deserving of human rights.

Agreed. You can't just put everyone in jail in this one box & say you all are bad people who don't care about the law so you can't vote.

Although, I will say I hate when people compare a sexual abuse victim to an abuser. I'm sure there are a lot of cases where people were sexually abused growing up but I think that in no way makes it an excuse or a reason why they abused someone else. I was sexually abused growing up & I would cut off my own hand before I touched a child in an inappropriate way. I just feel like it has no bearing on what a person does to another once they are an adult.

Yeah, I do see your point... but unfortunately for some people what happens to them in childhood does have a huge effect on how they treat others in adulthood, especially if that's all they've ever learned. But you're right, for many there is absolutely no excuse for it. I'm really sorry that happened to you. :(

Sure, let them vote. And let them learn politics! Let them be bored stupid by the ins and outs of local government like I was in college! ;D

I think that people behind bars, obviously shouldn't have the right to vote. But once they have served their time, gotten off probation/parole, paid restitution and been on the "straight and narrow" path for a period of time their right vote should be restored to them.

My fiancee, screwed up when he was younger, and wound up going to jail for three years. After he was released he went and got a job, and has been employed ever since. He pays taxes, reported to his probation officer, did the random drug tests, we allowed the probation officer into our home at any time, and he paid all restiution. He's been out of jail for 3.5 years now and hasn't screwed up and doesn't intend to in the future. He was just a young adult who made a mistake.

i do agree that not all people in jail are horrible people. but, we cannot please everyone. there must be a blanket rule that applies, and i agree that while behind bars, you should lose your right to vote. you committed a crime, whether or not you were in the right mind doesn't matter. if you committe a crime, prepare for the consequences. once said person gets out of jail, then of course they should have their rights given back to them. they are a citizen of the state once again, so they should get all their rights.

I agree with what others have said, I do not think prisoners should get a vote while they are in prison. But once they've served their time that right should be returned to them along with their other rights of freedom.

Don't let 'em vote.