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·         International: Kenyan Prisoners to Vote in August; Disenfranchisement Addressed Across Borders » GO

·         Oklahoma: State Officials Still Confused » GO

 

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July 8, 2010

Disenfranchisement News

International

Kenyan prisoners to vote in August

After a petition was filed by prison inmates in Mombasa, a Kenyan court has decided to allow prisoners to vote in the upcoming August election.  It is the first time that Kenyan prisoners have been given the right to vote, BBC reported.

"It is a credible decision," said Hassan Omar Hassan of the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights. "The punishment is supposed to be reformative and when people are incarcerated they lose their freedom but other rights should stay."

A Business Daily editorial, which makes mention of the U.S. standard of denying voting rights, applauded Kenya's reform stating: "It represents a change in the way our justice system and the public at large is now looking at jails - not as institutions for punishment but as instruments of correction where inmates are treated with respect and dignity even as they are helped to walk away from their criminal past."

Disenfranchisement Addressed Across Borders

Radio Bilingüe's program, "Linea Abierto," examined disenfranchisement in a broadcast featuring Myrna Pérez of the Brennan Center, rights restoration advocate Andrés Idarraga, and Pastor Gilberto Velez. The program, based in Mexico, highlighted the various impacts of voter disenfranchisement to the Latino community. To listen to the Spanish broadcast, click here.

Oklahoma

Good Behavior + Credits + Release = Continued Disenfranchisement

Tulsa World columnist Julie DelCour explains the rule of law in Oklahoma: "If an inmate receives a 10-year sentence, accrues credits for good behavior and is released early without supervision, he or she still cannot vote until the 10-year sentence expires." DelCour quotes several editorials, including Time magazine and the Chicago Tribune, that oppose disenfranchisement after prisoners have completed their sentence.

Based on a League of Women Voters study, DelCour states that "by some calculations" about 10 percent of Oklahoma's voting-age population has a felony record. Further, the state has the fourth highest per-capita incarceration rate.

"The number of felons serving probation or parole is growing, not shrinking," she writes. "Also increasing is the number of former inmates who followed the rules, participated in programs and received an early release because of their positive actions while incarcerated. They aren't allowed to register to vote, however, because their sentence has not expired." Read article here.

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Today's the Day!

Tell Your Congressional Representatives to Make Juvenile Justice a Priority This Year

For too long, "tough on crime" political rhetoric has resulted in juvenile justice policies that are bad for youth and don't keep the public safe. More effective ways to deal with juvenile offenders exist, and now is the time for Congress to take action, but we need your help.

Right now please let Congress know that voters care about juvenile justice reforms.

Three major juvenile justice initiatives remained stalled in the Congress:

·         Reauthorizing the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA), which is currently three years overdue for reauthorization. The JJDPA, first enacted in 1974, promotes the use of effective community-based alternatives to detention, keeps youth out of adult facilities, reduces the disproportionate involvement of youth of color in the system, and promotes other research-driven best practices in the juvenile justice system. Call on Congress to reauthorize the JJDPA bill, S. 678.

·         Increasing appropriations for juvenile justice programs, which were the only category of children's programs that received a significant decrease in funding in the President's proposed budget. In order for the States to make positive changes, they must receive the federal support they need to prevent youth crime and rehabilitate juvenile offenders. States have experienced a steady decline in funding for juvenile justice programs since 2002. Ask Congress to preserve and increase juvenile justice appropriations for the coming fiscal year.

·         Passing the Youth PROMISE Act to promote cost-effective prevention-based strategies to reduce youth crime. Among many improvements to juvenile justice, this legislation allows representatives from the communities facing the greatest juvenile crime challenges to develop a comprehensive plan to prevent youth crime through a coordinated prevention and intervention response. 

Action item:  Today, contact your two U.S. Senators and your U.S. House Representative and urge them to make juvenile justice a priority in the 111th Congress by:

•    Reauthorizing the JJDPA;
•    Increasing juvenile justice appropriations; and
•    Passing the Youth PROMISE Act.

Click here to contact your Congressional Representative and Senators today. After entering your zip code, you will be provided with the phone numbers for your representatives, along with suggested talking points and a feedback form to report on the response you received.

Thank you for your help.