Tag Archives: prison

Felony Disenfranchisement & the Presidential Election

BY: SOFIA TARAFA As Lyndon B. Johnson once observed, “A man without a vote is a man without protection. He is virtually helpless.”[1] Sadly, millions of U.S. citizens are rendered helpless by felon disenfranchisement laws.[2] These laws not only leave those convicted of a felony without a vote, but also deprive the U.S. of a […]

Ending the Collateral Consequences of Criminal Records

BY: MARLON BAQUEDANO The American Bar Association’s Criminal Justice Section has catalogued more than 38,000 statutes nationwide that impose collateral consequences on people convicted of crimes; these statutes create barriers to jobs, housing, welfare benefits, and voting.[1] The majority of these statutes (80%) work as denial of employment opportunities.[2] This means that statutes that make […]

Life or Death? That is the (Jury’s) Question.

BY: MARIA ORDONEZ Timothy Lee Hurst was charged and convicted with the gruesome May 2, 1998, killing of Cynthia Harrison during a robbery at the Popeye’s restaurant in Escambia County, Florida, where they were both employed. After he was granted a new sentencing trial because of counsel’s ineffective assistance[1], Hurst was again sentenced to death […]