Pleading guilty to a felony comes with numerous disadvantages and subsequent challenges. Some convicted individuals are denied the right to vote, others excluded from juries after being deemed unfit for such service. By so doing, these individuals have stripped of their democratic and political rights. They are then subjected to punishment that, if equated with a prison sentence, is more severe. It involves being shamed for the rest of their lives, experiencing scorn and contempt, and being openly excluded. Discrimination is perceived as a legal concept for the convicted felon. The punishment they receive initially for the original crime is never enough unless they pay their debt to society. Courts and personnel working in them have failed to identify the sanctions ex-convicts are subjected to as punishments constitutionally and thus do not inform individuals of the consequences of a plea. In some cases, they fail to give this information because they do not understand how much harm a plea cause. Ex-offenders are discriminated against in society even by civic laws that are purposed to prevent them from reintegrating. Being convicted for a crime, and the aftermath, including the restrictions and arguments against why ex-offenders should not reintegrate into the world, brands them as unfit to become part of the society, therefore exposing them to a myriad of negative issues and challenges such as homelessness, employment challenges, employment discrimination based on race, debt, and loss of voting rights.
One of the significant challenges encountered by ex-offenders is homelessness . As much as they enjoy the idea of freedom, the first worry of an ex-felon is where they will sleep. While some ex-convicts have homes they can go to, most others must find a place to stay sooner. They may be lucky to have a former friend or relative who offers them temporary assistance, but they are expected to fend for themselves within a given period. Ex-felons are in most states denied public housing, which makes it more difficult to find a place. According to Alexander, the bigger problem is that discriminating against these individuals and denying them housing services is perfectly legal (Alexander, 2021). Landlords in private and public sectors are free to discriminate against convicted criminals, suspects, and their families. They are deemed as undesirables. This form of discrimination has been active for decades. The Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988 was passed by Congress, calling for eviction and strict leases on individuals involved with criminal activity. President Clinton would later in 1996 propose a law whereby drug offenders would be immediately evicted (Alexander, 2021). The attempts of applicants in public housing to appeal these laws have been fruitless, seeing as victory requires an attorney, and they cannot afford one. These laws have dragged on through decades, and even today, public housing agencies have strict rules regarding approving applications of individuals with criminal backgrounds.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Lack of housing facilities expose ex-convicts and their families to devastating consequences such as losing their families. Courts have ruled as justified evictions based on children smoking marijuana. Alexander argues that some of these policies are unreasonable, seeing as the families are left homeless, and the action is discriminatory. These policies are also problematic because they affect poor people and minority communities more. The fear of eviction leads to families refusing to allow their released relatives to stay with them, posing a problem for the ex-convict. According to findings by a study by the McCormick Institute of Public Affairs, almost a quarter of individuals in homeless shelters were ex-convicts (Alexander, 2021). These individuals lack the funds to access private housing, and some cannot find a home for the rest of their lives.
Ex-convicts also face employment challenges . These individuals have been confirmed to be more preoccupied with securing employment during their first month of release than anything else. The criminal justice system plays a part in the pressure to find work, seeing as failure to get a job could mean more time in prison (Alexander, 2021). Employment is also fundamental for self-sustenance and the support of families while also creating a positive image within society. When applying for a job, applicants must answer if they have ever been convicted of a crime. In numerous states, records of arrest and conviction bar ex-convicts and criminal offenders from accessing employment, regardless of how well they can perform at a job. A criminal profile is a long-term disadvantage for ex-convicts. Alexander states a mismatch between employment and residence, whereby most employers willing to take them in are in the construction industry (Alexander, 2021). These industries or the construction site's location may be a considerable distance from where they are staying, and the transport money does not balance with the salary. Another problem is that some ex-convicts are also illiterate, making it harder to find a job, seeing as they are also denied education opportunities.
The challenges of being an ex-offender multiply significantly if the individual is an African American which is termed as the black box . Although all ex-convicts applying for jobs are affected by a criminal record, the weight is felt unequally. Employers are more reluctant to hire African Americans fresh from prison or with an arrest record. Almost one-third of the young African Americans are unemployed, with the rate ranging at 65%, combined with previously incarcerated individuals (Alexander, 2021) . This is despite campaigns by advocates to ban the box purposed to reduce the number of unemployed black ex-convicts. The racial disparity in this and other countries may be a foundation of discriminatory acts where every black individual is perceived as a criminal offender, either consciously or subconsciously. While ex-convicts have a hard time getting locked out of the country's economy, black individuals experience an even higher degree of discrimination and exclusion.
Some ex-convicts are lucky enough to land a job that sustains them within a reasonable distance from their residence. However, they are still faced with significant debt, which creates an obstacle as they strive to build a life for themselves. After their release from prison in the United States, individuals must pay a series of agencies, probation departments, child-support enforcement agencies, and even courts. Some ex-offenders in different states receive bills to settle for drug-related treatment and testing (Alexander, 2021) . Ex-convicts in most states are required to pay poverty penalties which are added on any delated payments, and interest rates on settlements that are not made all at once. Before their arrest, two-thirds of all inmates have an income of approximately twelve thousand dollars. Owing to the burden incurred by their circumstances, they cannot pay all the fees and fines presented to them, and their paychecks are cut to settle the debt. Failure to pay the requirements of probation supervision still poses a re-incarceration threat, and some lose their driving licenses if they haven't paid debts, which may result in loss of employment. Even when inmates work in prison, the little they earn is taken away for prison expenses, meaning they cannot save for costs and fines awaiting them once they are freed.
Ex-convicts are denied the right to vote for a period varying from a few years to the rest of their lives. The United States has the highest disenfranchisement rates for ex-offenders. The United Nations Human Rights Committee has even charged the country for these policies. An ex-felon is automatically disqualified from voting in this country, which is a civil and democratic right (Alexander, 2021) . Individuals who were eligible to vote before they were incarcerated are disenfranchised for the rest of their life. There is a process through which ex-offenders can regain their voting rights, but it is erroneous and cumbersome, and most individuals cannot manage to get through it. This policy denies millions of individuals branded as felons to make political participation and a difference in their country. If ex-felons were allowed to vote, numerous elections would have had different outcomes. They are prohibited from any voting of any kind, even when it directly affects them. Ex-offenders are perceived as individuals without a voice, and as such, they cannot complain about how discriminatory the practices are. Those who are lucky to restore their voting rights feel validated like they have a voice. Denying people the right to vote because they are branded as felons diminishes their sense of identity and belonging.
Although the day an individual is released from prison is one of their happiest days, the process of reintegrating into society and the challenges awaiting that individual are equally depressing. Ex-convicts face the challenge of knowing where to begin, who to reach out to, or what to do. They are faced with employment discrimination, exclusion, shame, stigma, and policies that seek to brand them as less deserving of being in society. Employers are reluctant to employ these individuals, housing agencies deny them services, and families fear taking them in may have financial and housing adverse consequences. As a result, these individuals are faced with more challenges outside prison walls than inside. They are prone to mental health conditions such as depression and stress disorders following these challenges. The even bigger problem is that society deems discrimination and exclusion against ex-convicts legal. As such, they have minimal assistance, if at all.
References
Alexander, M. (2021). The New Jim Crow. In Power and Inequality (pp. 300-304). Routledge.
