WASHINGTON, Feb. 11 (UPI) -- States should roll back laws that permanently disenfranchise released felons, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said Tuesday.
Holder, speaking at a conference on civil rights and criminal justice at Georgetown University in Washington, said that studies have shown released convicts who can vote are less likely to return to prison than those who are permanently stripped of that right.
"It is time to fundamentally reconsider laws that permanently disenfranchise people who are no longer under federal or state supervision," Holder said. "These restrictions are not only unnecessary and unjust, they are also counterproductive. By perpetuating the stigma and isolation imposed on formerly incarcerated individuals, these laws increase the likelihood they will commit future crimes. They undermine the re-entry process and defy the principles -- of accountability and rehabilitation -- that guide our criminal justice policies."
Policies on felon voting are in the hands of the states, so Holder has no power to change those laws. He said he has moved policies towards helping those released from federal prisons to re-enter society and ensuring that those convicted of minor crimes are not sentenced to overly harsh terms because of mandatory minimums.
