SPEAKOUT -- SB 83 Parolee Voting
The Rocky Mountain News printed this column from Cathy Hazouri, Executive Director of the ACLU on the benefits of SB 83.
By Cathy Hazouri, Colorado American Civil Liberties Union
The legislature is considering
Senate Bill 83, an election reform bill that includes an amendment to extend voting rights for parolees. Parolee voting isn ' t about making things easier or better for criminals. It is about preventing crime. The natural reaction of most law-abiding citizens is to automatically reject the idea of parolee voting. We want those people to pay dearly for the crimes they have committed, and denying voting rights to parolees sounds just fine to many of us. But does our lust for retribution outweigh our interest in cultivating civic and social responsibility
- known factors for preventing crime - among prisoners returning to society?
Speakout A t some point, when prisoners have served their time, they are going to return to society and live among us in the community. So we must decide how best to reintegrate people with criminal convictions so that they become productive citizens who actively reject a life of crime. Our public safety depends on it.
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