Felon disfranchisement preserves slavery’s legacy

Whether or not convicted felons are able to vote varies greatly from state to state, with northeastern states putting up far fewer obstacles to voting for those that have been convicted compared to southern states. Pippa Holloway looks at the historic roots of disfranchisement for those in prison, arguing that these regional differences are the result of regionally divergent histories of slavery and criminal justice. In the south, conviction generally meant the removal of full citizenship, and punishment rather than rehabilitation, while felons in the northeast tended not to lose their voting rights. She argues that felon disfranchisement today preserves slavery’s racial legacy by producing a class of individuals who are excluded from suffrage.