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What Rights Do Felons Lose?

When a felon is done serving their time in prison this does not mean that life will go back to normal for them. The felon will need to adjust to the changes that occurred while they were locked up. They may struggle to find a job and have trouble with some interpersonal relationships. There are some other challenges that the felon may face. While they may be free to move around as they please the felon has lost some rights. It will be more difficult for them to do some things that person take for granted.

What Rights Do Felons Lose?

Voting

At one time a felon lost their right to vote permanently. Over the past couple of decades, states have taken their own stand on this policy. Some states are allowing felons to vote once they have been released from prison. In 14 states a felon will only lose their right to vote while they are incarcerated. Once they are released, they will be able to vote again. In 22 states a felon will not be able to vote while they are on probation or parole. After they have completed this time and paid all outstanding fines they will be allowed to vote again. In 12 states, for some crimes, the felon will lose their right to vote indefinitely. In order to have their voting rights restored, they will need a pardon from the governor. In the majority of states once a felon completes their sentence including time on parole or probation they will be allowed to vote again. They will need to register to vote in the state and the area in which they live just like any other citizen at this time.

Felon and Gun Owners

In 1968, there was a law passed by Congress prohibiting felons from owning a gun. According to the law, anyone that was convicted of a violent crime would not be allowed to own a gun. This increased to anyone that was convicted of a felony. Felons that were convicted of a crime and must serve more than one year were not allowed to own a gun. If a felon has their record expunged they will be able to own a gun. If a person has been convicted of a white collar crime such as unfair trade practice they will be able to own a gun once they have completed their sentence. Some states will allow a felon the right to carry a gone once they have completed their sentence and have been a good standing citizen for a specific number of years. They can own a gun once they have finished their jail time and have been out of trouble with no additional felonies for a period of 10 years. There are no additional restrictions on gun ownership. States are passing laws and prohibiting a person that has been convicted of a certain type of crime from owning a gun. If a felon is looking to bear arms, they need to check with their state for the most up to date information since gun violence is a top political issue.

Traveling Abroad

Most felons will not have an issue getting a passport once they have completed their sentence. Once they are off of parole or probation they will be able to travel abroad. There are some exceptions. If a person has been convicted of drug trafficking over international borders or has crossed international borders to commit a crime their passport will be rejected. They cannot get a passport while on parole or probation. If a person has outstanding loans that they have taken out in international land and have not to repair they the passport application will be rejected. If a person is on a supervised release program for a controlled substance or the distribution of a controlled substance they will not be allowed to travel internationally. If the USA has declared a felon an international threat or terrorist threat they will not be allowed to travel internationally. A convicted felon may have their passport revoked or restricted if the Secretary of State feels necessary. Many felons that have completed their sentences that is not related to drug trafficking should not have an issue traveling abroad.

Jury Service

There have been felons that have served on juries. If a person is summoned to appear for jury duty they need to show up regardless of their record. Jury selection is based on people that are registered to vote. If a felon is not registered they will not be included on the jury list. This will vary based on the state that they live in. Most states do not allow a felon to serve on a jury but some states will after they have completed their sentence and time on probation or parole. A felon will not be able to serve in federal court as a member of the jury. A judge may excuse a person if they have a record with a felony on it. When being questioned by a lawyer a felon is often disqualified at their request. It is very rare for a felon to serve as a member of the jury. Those do serve often have a record that has been expunged.

Employment in Specific Fields

While it is possible for a felon to get a job and make good money there are some fields that they will not find work in. in order to work in the field of education or any childcare service, a person cannot have a criminal record especially a felon. These people need to be of good moral standing and a felon is disqualified for this. most states will prohibit a felon from working in the healthcare field. This will increase the insurance of the health care facility and they are not willing to take that risk. When a person is going to work in security they will need to be bonded and this will disqualify a felon. If a person has been convicted of a violent crime they will not be able to be employed in a security related field. There are some other fields that a felon is not allowed to work in and they may vary from state to state. Many jobs are conducting background checks and if a felony shows up a person will not be eligible for employment. There are certain job assistance services that will help a felon find employment and these services will help them land a job.

Public Benefits and Assistance

A felon may get public assistance in some states if they qualify. In some states, a felon cannot get food stamps if they have been convicted of a drug-related offense. Some states will require that a felon attend and complete a drug rehab program. There has been trouble with people selling their food stamps for money in the past. Some felon may qualify for public housing assistance. Felons that have been convicted of a violent crime may be turned down for assistance in some states. A landlord cannot be forced to accept a felon into their building even if they are getting assistance from the government.

Parental Rights

A felon will not automatically lose their rights if they are convicted. If they are going to be in prison for over 22 months the state may need to put children in foster care and can ask the court to terminate parental rights. While a felon will still have parental rights they may not be allowed to see if their children if they are convicted of child abuse, assault or drug charges, crimes against children including crimes of sexual nature, abuse, homicides, and sexual assaults. A parent may still have some parental rights but if they are a danger to the child, they will not be allowed visitation.

Are the Lost Rights for Every State?

The rights that felons will lose or may be restricted will vary from state to state. A felon needs to check in their specific area to see what rights they may no longer have and if they are able to get their rights back. Some states will allow a felon to get most of their rights back right away while others will not be allowed rights such as the right to bear arms to convicted felons.

Do Felons Get Right’s Back?

This again will vary from state to state. A felon may be able to get their rights back after a specific time period has passed. If they get their crime expunged from their record they will get their rights back. In some states, a felon may also be able to get their rights back if they complete a treatment program.

There are some rights that a felon may lose due to their conviction. In order to get some of these rights back and show that they have learned from past mistakes, a felon must live a clean life and stay out of legal trouble. Over time they may be able to have some of their rights restored.

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