The Sentencing Project releases short report on “Increasing Public Safety by Restoring Voting Rights”

I received via email this morning this eight-page document from The Sentencing Project titled “Increasing Public Safety by Restoring Voting Rights.”  Here is how the document gets started:

Restoring voting rights for people with felony convictions can improve public safety.  Voting is among a range of prosocial behaviors in which justice-impacted persons can partake, like getting a college education, that is associated with reduced criminal conduct.  Among Americans with a history of criminal legal system involvement, having the right to vote or the act of voting is related to reduced recidivism.  The re-entry process after incarceration improves because restoring voting rights gives citizens the sense that their voice can be heard in the political process, and contributes to building an individual’s positive identity as a community member.

The studies featured in this brief underscore the beneficial impacts of restoring voting rights for all Americans who have been convicted of a felony, whether they are inside or outside of prison.