Promoting Civic Engagement Post-Release From Correctional Facilities

Abstract

We applaud the article by Purtle1 and agree that prohibiting incarcerated individuals from voting impacts both their civic engagement and their health. However, one important point that was missing from the article is that in a number of states, there are additional barriers to voting even after a person has been released from a correctional facility and completed parole and probation. Three states impose lifetime bans on voting for those with felony convictions. An additional eight states impose partial restrictions (Table 1).2 TABLE 1— Felony Disenfranchisement Policies: United States, November 2012 Connecticut legislation prohibits individuals from voting when they are incarcerated and on parole, but many individuals do not know that they can vote once they have completed their prison sentence. To that end, the New Haven Reentry Initiative organized Unlock the Vote, a citywide effort geared toward registering individuals with criminal records to fortify the relationship between civic engagement and health. In the months leading up to the November 2012 general election, we conducted nine voting registration drives partnering with local agencies, including local community health centers, which serve returning prisoners. Each conversation with a returning prisoner addressed the importance of voting in the context of one’s health and that of our community. In total, 271 individuals with criminal records were registered to vote. Concerns that former prisoners do not want to become civically engaged were unfounded; 54% of New Haven residents registered through Unlock the Vote voted in the November election (comparable to New Haven’s overall rate of 62%). Given this success, we are working on statewide legislation that would mandate that individuals be given the opportunity to register to vote upon release from prison. This legislation is currently pending, and other such legislation has already been passed in North Carolina. The partnership between the city’s reentry initiative and health care community has been crucial in identifying other avenues in which to collaborate to improve the health and civic engagement of returning prisoners. Readers interested in spearheading similar efforts to bridge the divide between civic engagement and health can join local reentry councils and also turn to online resources such as Breaking Barriers to the Ballot Box,3 which provides materials for registering voters with criminal records. Creating a healthier democracy depends on these partnerships that engage returning prisoners back into our communities.