Report: FL Ex-Cons Benefited From Rights Restoration
(Posted August 08, 2011 05:31 am)
By Les Coleman
TALLAHASSEE, FL - Ex-convicts who have their civil rights restored are far less likely to return to a life of crime and go back behind bars. That's what a new report from the Florida Parole Commission details. The commission reported on a period when then-Gov. Charlie Crist had automatically restored civil rights. Former felons were finding jobs, and the recidivism rate for the group was reduced by almost two-thirds.
However, newly elected Gov. Rick Scott struck down
the immediate restoration of rights for ex-convicts. The
new commission report gives hope to Mark Schlakman of
the Florida State University Center for the Advancement
of Human Rights. He says Scott's administration will
revisit the decision made last March.
"If one has an opportunity to view what this report
suggests - that there may be a reduction of almost
two-thirds in the recidivism rate - that is remarkable."
Under Gov. Scott's rules, all ex-felons must wait at
least five years before they can apply to have their
rights restored, and those who committed more serious
crimes must wait seven years.
Newly-elected Attorney General Pam Bondi led the effort
to scrap the Crist-era initiative. When she proposed
eliminating the automatic restoration of civil rights,
she said it was a "public safety" issue.
"I believe as a 20-year prosecutor that any felony is a
serious crime. I believe someone should have to ask to
have their rights restored."
Critics see politics at play. They say Florida's ban on
granting rights is a relic from the post-Civil War days.
Leon County Elections Supervisor Ion Sancho says by
making it more difficult to regain the right to vote,
the Scott administration is engaging in partisan
politics that have roots in the Jim Crow era.
"They're saying, 'We don't want those people voting -
they might not vote for us.' These individuals are
putting political gain ahead of the needs of the
citizens of the state of Florida."
The Governor's press release announcing the Amended
Rules of Executive Clemency is available
here.