Pub. date: 2005 | Online Pub. Date: September 15, 2007 | DOI: 10.4135/9781412952514 | Print ISBN: 9780761927310 | Online ISBN: 9781412952514| Publisher:SAGE Publications, Inc.About this encyclopedia
Khalilah L. Brown-Dean
Felon disenfranchisement refers to the practice of banning individuals with a felony conviction from voting. These laws are determined at the state level. States have the option of banning a felon from voting while in prison, while on parole, probation, or permanently barring them from voting. The United States is one of few nations across the world that bans people from voting while they are imprisoned. Countries such as Spain, Greece, Ireland, Switzerland, France, Israel, Japan, and the Czech Republic all allow incarcerated felons to vote. Furthermore, other countries such as Germany and South Africa require prison officials to encourage inmates to exercise the vote. In Puerto Rico, the right to vote is one of the few rights citizens retain during incarceration. Disenfranchisement provisions have existed since the founding of the United States. Throughout earlier periods in American history, the right to vote was seen as a privilege that only ...