Prisoners Must be Impuissant to Voting Essay Example

A lot of people believe that since over 10 million people are arrested each year, and that many votes could make a difference for electing the next president, they want to give prisoners a right to vote. But, however, a lot of them forget the reason why prisoners are where they are in the first place: Committing a crime. That is why I am here to show you why prisoners should not be allowed to vote.

One reason why I believe that prisoners should not be allowed to vote is because you can't trust inmates. If somebody shows that they aren’t responsible enough to follow a law, then they shouldn’t have the right to participate in an election where the next president is elected. According to Jason Snead, the author of the article:  No, Prisoners Should Not Be Voting From Their Cells, says, “There is simply no reason that those who have shown they cannot follow the law ought to have a say in crafting it or electing those who will enforce it” (Snead). This evidence shows that those who cannot follow a law cannot have a chance to participate in something like voting for the next president.

Another reason why prisoners should not have the right to vote is because the majority of states agree also that they shouldn’t be able to vote. Just like in most voting, the majority wins. And with the amount of states that don't want prisoners to vote, the majority definitely wins. To follow up, “Studies show that 48/50 states recognize the wisdom of preventing prisoners from voting” (Snead). This evidence provides proof that nearly all states don't want prisoners to vote, and shouldn’t be allowed.

The most important reason why prisoners should not be allowed to vote is because it doesn’t make prisoners a better person. Prisoners are in prison for a reason, and that is because they broke a law. Voting wont help them feel like part of society or anything. Plus, they don’t know anything about the candidates either, because they’re locked up in a cell. For instance, according to Jason Snead, “One Bureau of Justice Statistics survey of 30 states found that 76.6% of inmates released in 2005 were rearrested, and 55.1% returned to prison, within five years. We must tackle chronically high recidivism, but prison voting will not do that” (Snead). This strong piece of information shows that voting didn’t help lower the number of people incarcerated, or getting rearrested. Because the majority of them either got rearrested, or sent back to prison within a few years.

Some people may not agree with my reasons and strongly disagree with what I said, but you all have to remember that there are rights taken away from people who can’t follow the law, and voting is one of them.

In summary, prisoners should not be able to vote because they are punished for breaking the law, there is more than a 50% chance that they will get rearrested, and most important of all, 48/50 states agree with my belief. From the reasons I have stated, I want you to take this all into account, and start seeing or continue seeing from my point of view, for why prisoners should not be able to vote.

Works Cited:

Snead, Jason. “No, Prisoners Should Not Be Voting From Their Cells.” The Heritage Foundation, www.heritage.org/crime-and-justice/commentary/no-prisoners-should-not-be-voting-their-cells.

Gross, Daniel A., et al. “Why Shouldn't Prisoners Be Voters?” The New Yorker, www.newyorker.com/news/the-future-of-democracy/why-shouldnt-prisoners-be-voters.