EG1900...The Number They Gave Me When They Revoked My Citizenship: Perverse Consequences of Ex-Felon Civic Exile

32 Pages Posted: 17 Aug 2018

See all articles by James M. Binnall

James M. Binnall

California State University, Long Beach

Date Written: June 3, 2008

Abstract

There are currently sixteen million Americans marked with a felony conviction, and we all have lost certain civic freedoms. Voting, running for office, and serving on a jury are duties the State no longer trusts us to perform. Without legitimate justification, the State indiscriminately excludes ex-felons, stigmatizing us in the process. Yet, it requires us to rebuild our lives while confiscating the civic tools needed to complete the task. For many of us, the frustration of being an “outsider” marks our early days of freedom. Employers, landlords, schools, and even love interests tell us we are different because we have a criminal past. Though difficult, these obstacles are temporary. More significant are the laws that keep us marginal citizens—those promulgated by the State and spawned, in theory, to protect “them” from “us.” As an ex-felon, mindful that my experiences may vary significantly from others with whom I share an unfortunate past, I view civic restrictions through a lens carved with mistakes. I argue that removing civic freedoms can lead to re-offending by first contributing to the stigma of being an ex-felon and then by reducing an ex-felon’s moral desire to remain lawful.

Keywords: Felon, Exclusion, Civic Marginalization, Stigma, Desistance

Suggested Citation

Binnall, James, EG1900...The Number They Gave Me When They Revoked My Citizenship: Perverse Consequences of Ex-Felon Civic Exile (June 3, 2008). Willamette Law Review, Vol. 44, No. 4, 2008, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3226079

James Binnall (Contact Author)

California State University, Long Beach ( email )

1250 Bellflower Boulevard
Long Beach, CA 90840
United States

HOME PAGE: http://web.csulb.edu/colleges/chhs/departments/criminal-justice/profiles/James_Binnall_Bio.htm

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