Second Class Citizens

Isaiah Morgan
Ms. Jones
English IV- 7B
March 3, 2015

Morgan |1

Outline 3
I.

Ex-convicts may become prisoners again because the hardship they face as a

returning free citizen. Even though convicted criminals serve their time, they are not able to
successfully rejoin society due to distorted self-perceptions, extreme laws, and societys
perception of convicted felons.
II.

Newly releases criminals carry a label on their head that classified them as second

class citizen with few rights and limited control of their lives.
A.

Strip Rights

1.

Prisoners lose their right as a punishment for the crime but some rights dont correspond

with the crime they committed.

2.

As a result of losing some rights ex-cons have few opportunities to restart a successful

crime free life.

B.

Effect of Strip Rights

1.

Without the right to vote ex-cons cannot cast a voice in elections to prevent of change

laws against criminals.

2.

Men and Women cannot exactly obtain a well-paying job due to restrictions on certain

licenses.
C.

Result of Strip Rights

1.

One without a stable income and a family to raise the illegal road may seem as a more

promising way of money.

1|Morgan

Morgan |2

2.

It seem likes once a person enters the life of a criminal its a maze they cannot escape and

leads back to prison.

III.

Besides the loss of their rights as citizen ex-convicts face the biggest problem of being a

criminal, acquiring a job.

A.

Criminal Backgrounds

1.

Jobs and companys wish to keep prestigious reputations so they are very selective

toward applicants.
2.

Race and criminal background checks are different types of discrimination by job

recruiters.
B.

Education and Skills

1.

There are many prisoners that do not finish school or did not get a chance to earn a

degree from a university.

2.

Convicts usually become incarcerated at an early age limiting their skills hands on or

mentally for certain jobs.

C.

Result as Jobless

1.

None too little income cannot provide enough to raise a family and in some cases provide

enough for themselves.

2.

Men have an urgency to provide for love ones, back tracking them to a life of crime.

2|Morgan

Morgan |3

IV.

With very slim chances in getting a job and no voice in the government to change their

mistreatment, ex-cons continue a lifelong sentencing of second class citizens.

A.

Depth

1.

Several fees are pushed onto prisoners upon their release from jail with no money nor a

plan to get money.

B.

Getting Rights Back

1.

Although rights are taken away they can be won back through court.

2.

Regaining rights can be a hardship through the requirements and investigation which

takes place.
C.

Circle of Criminal Records

1.

Those criminals that are force into a life of violence are not likely to succeed after jail.

2.

The government has set up a lot of obstacles to keep criminals in a loop of life and jail.

V.

Are prisoners time in jail their true punishment or is the underclass treatment they

receive after prison the real sentencing? Criminals are people who made a poor decision in life
but is it right to take away essential rights from them. Humans make mistakes everyday but your
right to vote or privacy is not violated. So why someone should serve time in jail and come home
to live like a prisoner with no control of their life. The rights taken are to general and some
crimes do not have an effect toward some rights that are taken away. With no rights they cannot
change the future or change the opportunities that lie in front of them. Everyone thinks a criminal
will never do right again. The community thinks they will stay in a circle of crime. However they

3|Morgan

Morgan |4

are not given any other options. Jobs will not hire a known crook and those who do use their
criminal record as a reason to pay less or mistreat them. Without a job cons are left with no
money, few rights, and basis judgments from people. Convicts only have a few choices and one
choice leads back to the life of crime. Maybe if jobs become an easier task they can stay away
from crime and remain on track to success. The programs setup of for newly release inmates can
only go so far for a person. They can give rehab or midway session to help a person change for
better. They can appoint jobs or alternatives to working. But no one is above the law and no one
can change over rule a law so those programs may only be an advantage to a certain extent. With
all the obstacles ex-convicts cannot rejoin society because of extreme laws, self-perceptions, and
societys perception on cons.

4|Morgan

Morgan |5

Isaiah Morgan
Ms. Jones
English IV-7B
3-24-2015

All men are equal. Discrimination is illegal along with segregation. Are these laws being
enforced thoroughly? You dont see any color only signs or no whites allowed signs
anymore, right? It looks like the laws are doing a great job in upholding the equality between
races. However there is a group of people who have their rights taken away, separated in certain
places, and face a road of life long discrimination. This group, Ex-Convicts, come in all races
and age. Ex-convicts commit crimes and serve a jail sentence as punishment. But do the real
served time begin after jail? After a prisoner is released he/she are faced with hardships of
getting jobs and participating in regular activates due to their criminal record. Ex-convicts may
become prisoners again because the hardship they face as a returning free citizen. Even though
convicted criminals serve their time, they are not able to successfully rejoin society due to
distorted self-perceptions, extreme laws, and societys perception of convicted felons.
Newly releases criminals carry a label on their head that classified them as second class
citizen with few rights and limited control of their lives. A persons punishment for committing a
crime carries on after prison. You may already know criminals have parole officers and lose
voting rights. However thats just the beginning of their hard life. In addition to losing voting
rights, they also lose rights that dont correspond with their crime. Some of those rights are the

5|Morgan

Morgan |6

right to bear arms, right to own a professional license, restriction to travel, joining the armed
forces, and doing business with the government are just a few other rights criminals lose. Exoffenders face 50,000 legal mandated collateral consequences. (Larid, L.) The ample amount of
rights taken away cripples convicts chance returning back to society on a successful path. Most
importantly the right to votes silences their voice in elections to take some weight away. The 14
Amendment does state the right to vote can be taken away by rebelling or committing a crime
but, with the several other rights take away along with voting is violating Amendment 8 which
states no cruel or unusual punishment. With no voice on their future they can gain change in
their lives. According to Jamelle Bouie, in her article The Ex-Con Factor, 7 million citizens are
in prison and 5 million are disenfranchised in America today. That is quite enough votes to gain a
majority vote to achieve a more promising path for criminals after prison. Some people can argue
they still would not have enough votes to make a change. But in 2000 Gore could have won
Floridas vote if the 600,000 disenfranchised ex-cons couldve voted. ( Bouie) These men and
women cannot vote, regain a secure spot in society, or make a change so they fall back into a life
of crime, which seems like the only option for them.
Besides the loss of their rights as citizen ex-convicts face the biggest problem of being a
criminal, acquiring a job. Today is all about looks and the reputation a person carries. Jobs and
companys want to keep a prestigious and successful look so they are very selective toward
applicants. Discrimination by race is illegal in the United States, but due to the racism in our
history, African Americans are 15 xs more likely to be arrested for minor crimes; Latinos three
times more than white people. (Paul-Emile, 896) Not only does a job discriminate by race, but
single out applicants with criminal records and look over their applications differently and
harder. The EEOC, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, declared discrimination
6|Morgan

Morgan |7

toward people with criminal records violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Allowing
these jobs to force a person to reveal their criminal background should be violating Amendment
4, the right to privacy. Of course there are plenty of jobs that dont worry about a record but as of
today 73% of employers search for criminal background.(Paul-Emile,895) Difficulties with
gaining a job as a former prisoner shortens ex-convicts goals of restarting a stable life in society.
In some cases a person commits a crime before they finish high school or earn a degree from a
university. Few to none jobs will accept a person without a good education or no education.
Early criminals do not have a high education level or high working skills because they are put in
jail before they can build up their working or experience level. As a result of a low educational
level and no working skills, Lori Martins article, Depth to Society, discovered less than 60% of
cons work full time and about 10% of cons work part time after a year of release from jail.(134)
Those cons who do earn jobs are mostly construction workers, maintenance men, or
manufacturing employees. Those jobs, along with others, underpay convicts because of poor
education and skills. The low income cannot raise a family or maintain a stable life. In Loris
Depth to Society, she states 80% of ex-cons lived with their family in 2010. (134) Men have an
urge to be strong and provide for their loved ones. However one in four Americans has criminal
records and that one persons chance of getting a job drops by 50%. Many researchers have
found former prisoners that held a stable job prevented them from returning back to crime.
With very slim chances on getting a job and no voice in the government to change their
mistreatment, ex-cons continue a lifelong sentencing of second class citizenship. Before they can
start a new life they have to pay society back. Convicts must pay court fees, drug test fees, or
child support for some cons. The bills stack up on cons and with no way to pay them, they
slowly become in depth. So when they do work hard enough to find a job the first check goes
7|Morgan

Morgan |8

toward the government. Unfortunately, since most criminals are underpaid they may not get
money for themselves until the third or fourth check. Opportunities for a better life do present
themselves to a few. Rights are taken from criminals, but those who want different from
themselves go to court. Rights taken away from prisoners can be restated through investigation
and court trail. Criminal rights are taken and held by the ECB, Executive Clemency Board. The
ECB is the only authority that can give rights back to the wrong or falsely accused. The ECB
gives rights according to the level the crime was on. Theyre three levels that are separated by
significance of damage done. Level one is non-violent crimes, non-sexual predators, and no
repeated offenders. Level one crime does not need a court hearing to restore someone rights.
However in Louisiana nonviolent crimes have to wait five years before they go to court for
restoration. Only one third felony arrests have no convictions which would make restoration such
a simple task. (Paul-Emile, 904) Level two crimes are undeclared sex offenders, no 15 year
arrest, and crimes larger then level one. On level two amid level investigation has to take place
before rights can be returned. Level three crimes are homicides, sex offenders, and crimes bigger
then level one or two. Crimes on this level require a full investigation and court hearing to decide
on their restoration. Level three crimes are considered violent or serious crimes and must wait
seven years before restoration. Gaining rights back is possible and can be simple as sending your
appeal to the ECB depending on your crime. But if you commit a crime in Alabama, Arizona,
Delaware, Mississippi, Nevada, Tennessee, or Wyoming the ECB cannot benefit you. The
previous states are the only seven states with lifetime bans on criminal rights.(Bouie, The excon) If youre in Florida, Texas, Virginia, Tennessee, or California your court appeal to the ECB
will be very slim in winning your rights back. The five states I listed are the states with the most
disenfranchised ex-cons. (Bouie, the Ex-con) Going to court is not always a guaranteed way to

8|Morgan

Morgan |9

restore your rights. Many steps and requirements must take place before a person can have their
rights back. In addition, there are many court and lawyer fees that will add up to maybe a
thousand dollars or more. Since jobs are not fond of hiring criminals they do not have the money
to appeal. So, the court is rare for ex-cons to consider. With so many obstacles in place after
prison cons know the hardships they face and they know how many people before they were not
successful in rejoining society. With no rights criminals are not citizens anymore. The way the
government is set up it seems like a guaranteed road for convicts. Maybe once a person becomes
a criminal they will only stay in the life of crime fighting themselves. To prevent repeated
offenders, programs were invented to assist cons. One organization is The Second Chance ACT,
which granted $250 million to state and local governments for re-entry into the community.
(Laird, Doing Time) The Second Chance ACT is a nonprofit program which helps juveniles and
adults transition from jail back to a free world. They offer mentoring and different strategies to
deal with the conflicts that will come upon release from prison. This could be an alternative but
theyre programs can change the world or jobs opinion on criminals. Could time and patience
give former prisoners the key to a normal, better life?
Most citizens agree criminals had their chance to do right. Since they chose the wrong
path they do not deserve to be treated as other citizens. Some fell taking away their rights is the
best lesson learned. Everyone sees ex-convicts as future second or third time prisoners. The
thought of a criminal being released and beginning a changed life is unimaginable to society.
Although they may be programs assisting ex cons to getting back on track and P.O officers
keeping them focused no one wants anything to do or say to criminals. The other half may
disagree with the fact they are treated like second citizens. They are courts which renew
criminals rights. These cases are sent to state and after an investigation of the ex-cons crime they
9|Morgan

M o r g a n | 10

may or may not receive their rights back. They also have programs put in place for ex-convicts to
get a job, education, and housing. Citizens could agree criminals lose their rights after
committing a crime, but are given enough chances to earn their rights back.
Chances for ex-cons gaining their place back in society are set up, but how difficult is this
task? Courts are available for criminals to earn restoration after a certain period of time. A case is
filed and goes to the ECB, Executive Clemency Board. Depending on the level of the crime they
decide whether rights will be given back to convicts. However level three of crimes like
homicide or sex offenders carry a slim chance of winning their rights back. Unfortunately, some
people are not able to get court appeals because they have no money to pay court fees. Upon
release some cons are brought back to society in depth due to drug test fees, child support, court
fees, and restitution fees. According to Lori Martin, article Depth to society less than 60% of
cons work full time upon their first year release. Those who do earn jobs are underpaid due to
criminal record, poor education, and no skills of working. So before these men and women can
pursue the chance to win their rights back its torn down by job discrimination toward exconvicts and the government label of prisoners on each criminal head.
Are prisoners time in jail their true punishment or is the underclass treatment they
receive after prison the real sentencing? Criminals are people who made a poor decision in life,
but is it right to take away essential rights from them. Humans make mistakes every day, but
your right to vote or privacy is not violated. So why someone should serve time in jail and come
home to live like a prisoner with no control of their life. The rights taken are to general and some
crimes do not have an effect toward some rights that are taken away. With no rights they cannot
change the future or change the opportunities that lie in front of them. Everyone thinks a criminal
will never do right again. The community thinks they will stay in a circle of crime. However they
10 | M o r g a n

M o r g a n | 11

are not given any other options. Jobs will not hire a known crook and those who do use their
criminal record as a reason to pay less or mistreat them. Without a job cons are left with no
money, few rights, and basis judgments from people. Convicts only have a few choices and one
choice leads back to the life of crime. Maybe if jobs become an easier task they can stay away
from crime and remain on track to success. The programs setup of for newly release inmates can
only go so far for a person. They can give rehab or a midway session to help a person change for
better. They can appoint jobs or alternatives to working. But no one is above the law and no one
can change over rule a law so those programs may only be an advantage to a certain extent. With
all the obstacles ex-convicts cannot rejoin society because of extreme laws, self-perceptions, and
societys perception on cons.

11 | M o r g a n

M o r g a n | 12

WORK CITED
Bouie, Janelle. The ex-con factor: felony- disenfranchisement laws suppress black turnout
Enough to swing elections and the future of reform is murky. The American Prospect
24.4(2013):12+. General Onefile.Web.6 Mar. 2015
Center, Federal Judicial. Resource Guide for Managing Prisoner Civil Rights Litigation: With
Special Emphasis on the Prison Litigation Reform Act. Washington, DC (One
Columbus Circle, N.E., Washington 20002-8003): Federal Judicial Center, 1996. Print.
Martin, Lori. Depth to society: Asset Poverty and Prisoner Reentry. Review of black Political
Economy 38.2(2011): 131-143. Business Source Complete. Web. 4 Mar. 2015
Miller, Bryan Lee, and, Joseph F. Spillane. Governing the restoration of civil rights for exFelons: An evaluation off the executive clemency board in Florida. Contemporary
justice review 15.4 (2012): 413-434. So index with full text.Web.4 Mar. 2015
Laird, Lorelei. Doing time extended: ex-offenders face tens of thousands of legal restrictions,
Bias and limits on their rights. ABA journal June 2013:50+.general one file. Web. 4
Mar.2015
Paul-Emile, Kymani. Beyond the title VII: rethinking race, ex offender status and
employment discrimination ion the information age status, and employment
discrimination in the information age. Virginal law review 100.5(2014):893952. Business source complete. Web. 4 Mar. 2015
12 | M o r g a n

M o r g a n | 13

Thompson, Anthony C. Releasing Prisoners, Redeeming Communities: Reentry, Race, and

Politics. New York, NY: New York UP, 2008. Print.

13 | M o r g a n