CRIMINAL DISENFRANCHISEMENT

Felon disenfranchisement has recently emerged as an issue of intense public concern and scholarly interest. This review highlights the broad range of socio-legal issues implicated by the practice of denying convicted felons the right to vote by considering the history, impact, and contemporary legal and scholarly debates surrounding the practice. Although race-neutral on their face, many U.S. laws stem from a history of racial discrimination and serve as an example of advantaged groups using the law as a mechanism to control disadvantaged groups. The practice of disenfranchising criminals has survived numerous legal challenges, raising questions about the fundamental nature of the right to vote in the United States and the representativeness of a democracy that systematically excludes a large group of citizens.