Research Symposium / May 20, 201 DISENFRANCHISED BY DEBT: IMPOVERSHED BY PRISON, BLOCKED FROM VOTING Linnea Lassiter, 2016 MPA FINDINGS – PAYING OFF LFO DEBT IN WA STATE LFO Balance in 5 Years LFO Balance in 10 Years LFO Balance in 15 Years LFO Balance in 30 Years $10 Monthly Payment $3,798 $6,083 $10,234 $56,362 $25 Monthly Payment $2,073 $2,632 $2,740 $3,938 $50 Monthly Payment $531 Paid off in 6 years 0 0 $100 Monthly Payment Paid off in 30 months 0 0 INTRODUCTION Nearly 6 million Americans are unable to vote due to a prior felony conviction. Furthermore, several states restrict voting rights restoration only to those who have paid their criminal justice debt, otherwise known as legal financial obligations (LFOs). DIRECT LFO DISENFRANCHISEMENT INDIRECT LFO DISENFRANCHISEMENT FINDINGS –LFO DISENFRANCHISEMENT LFO DEBT & FELONY DISENFRANCHISEMENT Figure 1: How LFO debt restricts voting rights for persons with felony convictions unable to pay Figure 2: This research established two forms of felony LFO disenfranchisement: 1. DIRECT LFO DISENFRANCHISEMENT: The 10 states with explicit laws prohibiting voting rights restoration until LFO debt is paid in full 2. INDIRECT LFO DISENFRANCHISEMENT: The additional 20 states with no explicit laws on LFOs and voting, yet disenfranchise former felons with LFO debt through indirect means Some states will not restore voting rights until LFOs are paid, even if sentence has been completed Figure 3: This research illustrates how difficult it is for low-income individuals to pay off LFO debt, using the 2008 average LFO debt in WA State of $2,540. Note: This table assumes on-time payments each month RACIAL DISPARITIES STATE Number of disenfranchised voters % of voters disenfranchised % of black voters disenfranchised Alabama 262,354 7.19% 14.98% Arkansas 65,193 2.96% 15.89% Florida 1,541,602 10.42% 27.32% Georgia 275,886 3.83% 9.47% Kentucky 243,842 7.35% 22.34% Lousiana 111,894 3.28% 8.76% Mississippi 182,814 8.27% 15.92% North Carolina 82,432 1.14% 6.84% South Carolina 43,156 1.22% 5.40% Tenessee 341,815 7.05% 21.92% Texas 532,487 2.91% 10.12% Virgina 451,471 7.34% 25.37% West Virginia 15,640 1.07% 6.45% TOTAL 4,150,586 4.93% 20.30% Figure 4: This research found that states with higher African American populations were more likely to have more restrictive felony voting laws and a disproportionate share of disenfranchised felons • In Virginia and Florida, over 1 in 4 black citizens is unable to vote due to felony disenfranchisement RECOMMENDATIONS The following recommendations will reduce felony disenfranchisement and restore voting rights to millions of non- white citizens, unable to pay LFO debt: 1. Limit interest rates and fees attached to unpaid LFOs 2. Automatically register people with conviction records who become eligible to vote 3. Establish clear criteria for determining ability to pay LFOs, and include ability to pay when determining voting eligibility 4. Ensure voter ID laws include the ability to use a prison- issued ID to vote or that systems are in place to provide suitable ID upon release from prison 5. In addition to these tools, the U.S. Department of Justice should conduct a thorough investigation of state disenfranchisement laws

DISENFRANCHISED BY DEBT · Research Symposium / May 20, 2016 DISENFRANCHISED BY DEBT: IMPOVERSHED BY PRISON, BLOCKED FROM VOTING Linnea Lassiter, 2016 MPA FINDINGS – PAYING OFF

Download PDF Report

Upload
others
View
3
Download
0

Embed Size (px)

Citation preview

Research Symposium / May 20, 2016

DISENFRANCHISED BY DEBT: IMPOVERSHED BY PRISON, BLOCKED FROM VOTING Linnea Lassiter, 2016 MPA

FINDINGS–PAYINGOFFLFODEBTINWASTATE

LFO Balance in 5 Years

LFO Balance in 10 Years

LFO Balance in 15 Years

LFO Balance in 30 Years

$10 Monthly Payment $3,798 $6,083 $10,234 $56,362

$25 Monthly Payment $2,073 $2,632 $2,740 $3,938

$50 Monthly Payment $531 Paid off in 6

years 0 0

$100 Monthly Payment

Paid off in 30 months 0 0

LFO

INTRODUCTIONNearly 6 million Americans are unable to vote due to a prior felony conviction. Furthermore, several states restrict voting rights restoration only to those who have paid their criminal justice debt, otherwise known as legal financial obligations (LFOs).

DIRECT LFO DISENFRANCHISEMENT INDIRECT LFO DISENFRANCHISEMENT

FINDINGS–LFODISENFRANCHISEMENT

LFODEBT&FELONYDISENFRANCHISEMENT

Figure 1: How LFO debt restricts voting rights for persons with felony convictions unable to pay

Figure 2: This research established two forms of felony LFO disenfranchisement: 1.  DIRECT LFO DISENFRANCHISEMENT: The 10 states with

explicit laws prohibiting voting rights restoration until LFO debt is paid in full

2.  INDIRECT LFO DISENFRANCHISEMENT: The additional 20 states with no explicit laws on LFOs and voting, yet disenfranchise former felons with LFO debt through indirect means

Some states will not restore voting rights until LFOs are paid, even if sentence has been completed

Figure 3: This research illustrates how difficult it is for low-income individuals to pay off LFO debt, using the 2008 average LFO debt in WA State of $2,540. Note: This table assumes on-time payments each month

RACIALDISPARITIES

STATE

Numberofdisenfranchised

voters

%ofvotersdisenfranchised

%ofblackvotersdisenfranchised

Alabama 262,354 7.19% 14.98%Arkansas 65,193 2.96% 15.89%Florida 1,541,602 10.42% 27.32%Georgia 275,886 3.83% 9.47%Kentucky 243,842 7.35% 22.34%Lousiana 111,894 3.28% 8.76%Mississippi 182,814 8.27% 15.92%NorthCarolina 82,432 1.14% 6.84%SouthCarolina 43,156 1.22% 5.40%Tenessee 341,815 7.05% 21.92%Texas 532,487 2.91% 10.12%Virgina 451,471 7.34% 25.37%WestVirginia 15,640 1.07% 6.45%TOTAL 4,150,586 4.93% 20.30%

Figure 4: This research found that states with higher African American populations were more likely to have more restrictive felony voting laws and a disproportionate share of disenfranchised felons •  In Virginia and Florida, over 1 in 4 black citizens is unable to

vote due to felony disenfranchisement

RECOMMENDATIONS

The following recommendations will reduce felony disenfranchisement and restore voting rights to millions of non-white citizens, unable to pay LFO debt: 1.  Limit interest rates and fees attached to unpaid LFOs

2.  Automatically register people with conviction records who become eligible to vote

3.  Establish clear criteria for determining ability to pay LFOs, and include ability to pay when determining voting eligibility

4.  Ensure voter ID laws include the ability to use a prison-issued ID to vote or that systems are in place to provide suitable ID upon release from prison

5.  In addition to these tools, the U.S. Department of Justice should conduct a thorough investigation of state disenfranchisement laws