fldpan: Sorry about my ridiculous theory. I did not realize that once they were paroled they could vote. I thought they were talking about the ones still currently in.Someone else said they can vote if they have been paroled in WI so who exactly was the article referring to? If they are parolled they already have that right so... BUT I would like to make a valid point. I had to serve on a federal jury and the person who elected herself as foreman well let's just say it was a drug case where the guy admitted 3 different times they were his drugs and the first words out of her mouth in deliberations were: Well my friends do drugs and they leave their stuff sitting out on the table so if they were his why would he hide them? We are talking about a "brick" of cocaine (not sure what you call it cause I don't know alot about drugs)and he had baggies of it made up in a drawer. This guy had $38,000 dollars in a crown royal bag in the apt. and get this: doesn't work, gets disability or social security or something (sorry it has been awhile and can't remeber the exact details)so we taxpayers were paying him to sell drugs. Well anyways we were divided and one of the jurors said we needed to compromise or she wasn't coming back and he would get away with it all. She was against finding him guilty due to the fact that it wasn't his apartment (he lived there witrh his girlfriend but it was only in her name) and the fact that you couldn't prove they were his drugs. We found him guilty of the lesser charge and innocent of the bigger one. Know what? He got away with it. This is the second time he was arrested for the same charges. They dismissed the case because how could the jury find him guilty of part of the drug charges but not all when they all were in the same house? I spent almost 3 days deliberating and I hated it. They tell you how to look at things, etc... but when you have people in there that say they can't be 100% sure even though they think he is guilty you can't win an argument. No one is 100% sure unless they were there and witnessed or did the crime. You may as well not have juries if you want 100%. We argued that fact but to no avail so even though I know I am rambling way off subject my comment was made to be sarcastic because of how our judicial system works. But really, do you know if they allow convicted felons to be on one cause I was pretty sure on my questionaire they asked that question...??? And honestly if they have served their time and are allowed to vote then so be it but I still say they shouldn't be allowed on a jury because how could they honestly say they could be impartial. I mean if they have been there they are not gonna want to send someone else there right?

booner, if you truly are starved for facts, may I suggest you start with these:

A PBS review which contains many supporting document links ("The high rate of recidivism is due in large part to a lack of rehabilitation inside prison and few established resources for parolees."):

http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/hards...

ADPSR (a socially responsible group of architects who refuse to design prisons) on the lack of rehabilitation:

http://www.adpsr.org/prisons/rehabilitat...

And another webpage with many links to other organizations with information related to this subject:

http://www.adpsr.org/prisons/links.htm

Happy reading, my friend.

Poobah: Nice try.....your still wrong. Even if you say there is "often no rehabilitation whatsoever". That statment cannot be backed up with facts. There is a ton of treatment in prison. Do your research. Criminals like to say there was no treatment offered in prison. That allows them to blame someone else for their continued criminal behavior and not take responsibility for their own actions.

booner, another classic high school debating technique you've learned. You left out an important word just prior to the phrase you quoted -- the word "often." If you're going to quote people, at least quote them in context to what they said.

Poobah: Check your 9:17 post........

booner: Your continued attempt to belittle people who take an opposite position, and to call them liars, does your argument little good. Please show me and the other readers where I ever said there is "no rehabilitation whatsoever".

Poobah: now everyone knows your lying. Because if you've actually been to a prison like you claim, there would be no way you could say there is "no rehabilitation whatsoever". I'd also like to know what crimes you consider a "petty felony". I bet your view will change about these poor mistreated criminals if you are ever the victim of a "petty felony".

booner: My friend, I suppose all of those TV shows about prison life were filmed in some Hollywood studio.

One of my lifelong friends is captain of the guards at a large Wisconsin prison and I have toured your prisons. Your attempt to belittle me and my argument by assuming I haven't toured prisons or done any research does nothing to support your argument.

Cheers!

Poobah: You watch too many TV shows. Again, actually go to a prison once before you form your uneducated opinions.

So the democrates want to get this passed so that criminals can vote for Osama Obamah! Well thats just perfect that way we can blame everything on them in 3 or 4 years..... I forget but when you commit A felony you lose your right to vote and bare arms, so if we are gonna let them vote shouldn't we let them buy guns to..... After all we have to keep things fair!

booner: We all know there is a large amount of "treatment" in prison. These "treatment" programs include lots of inmate-on-inmate violence, prisoner rape, being paid $2 per hour for work that civilians get $20-$30 per hour for, being confined in a cell for 23 hours per day, etc. Wake up!

Caging a person in over-crowded prison cells in under-staffed prisons because of reactionary and racist laws that make felons out of petty criminals is some "treatment" indeed! Does the disparity in sentencing between crack and cocaine mean anything to you? How about expanding your myopic view of the world -- it is a much larger place than Rock County or Wisconsin.

Maintain that short-sighted perspective of yours and society will continue to pay the price.

Poobah: get your facts straight. There is a large amount of treatment in prison. Just because someone goes through a treatment program doesn't mean they are "fixed". It doesn't matter how good the program is, if the person does not want to change, they will not get anything out of the program. I encourage you to tour a State prison sometime. I think you would be shocked at the amount of quality treatment and other opportunities that are offered in prison. The problem is that there are many people in this society who do not want to change and are quite content living a criminal lifestyle.

I should have added that once probation or parole was served they are still felons. They would however be ex-parolees and ex-probationers.
But, nonetheless, it is the judicial system that decides what their debt to society should be, and once that debt is paid, with few exceptions, they should have the rights of citizenship restored.

dini79; I agree with everything you said but, with a minor exception.
It is mostly true that "once a felon, always a felon." The definition of a felon is; one who has committed a felony. Thus, once committed one cannot "uncommit" a felony.
The only conceivable way once a felon always a felon would not apply is in the case of a pardon. Then for all practical purposes the crime "never occurred."
The only reason I mention this is because you rightly said "How about some facts".
Just submitted in the interest of clarification.

nyconserv1 said: "what is the matter, the demoncrats need more voters?"

Come November 4th I think you'll find, much to your dismay, the Democrats have plenty of voters. Stop back on November 4th and we'll peruse the vote totals.

what is the matter, the demoncrats need more voters?

"But republican state representative Scott Suder says too many parolees commit new crimes. He says that shows they're not ready to vote."

I wonder if Suder and people like him have stopped to consider that one potential reason for felons committing new crimes is because our current justice system so dis-enfranchises them from being productive members of society. These are people who have served their prison time -- often with no rehabilitation whatsoever -- and are then released to society with the same or worse environment than prior to entering prison.

This will continue to be a problem until people wake up and realize you can't cage a person for years and years with little, if any, socialization or rehabilitation, release them to society without the rights of others, and then expect them to somehow become productive citizens.

directory is correct. In Wisconsin, felons who have completed probation or parole are already eligible to vote.

OK, you folks need to review your Constitution.
First, there are plenty of felons who, 20 years ago, would not have been considered felons because the bar has been lowered pretty significantly. Laws like "three-strikes" in some cases have people charged as felons on pretty flimsy, non-violent charges.
Once they've served their jail time, ANY felon interested enough in the democratic process to go through what they'd have to go through to get their voting rights restored (it's not like for you and me -- show up with an ID and utility bill to register on election day) sure as heck ought to have his, OR her, voting rights restored.
And by the way, once parole or probation is served,these people are EX-felons.
A lot of mouthiness here with no substance to back yourselves up. How about some facts and figures? Once a felon, always a felon? Child molesters? Wait til your kid gets caught being a stupid teenager and slammed with a felony charge. Mine haven't, but I've sure seen plenty of it. You people have no idea who's in prison and who's in jail. More than half of them don't belong there by any stretch of the imagination ... except in a knee-jerk society where "Just Say No" failed as a policy, so now we have overzealous prosecutors all over the country upping their averages with what used to be (and should still be) pretty petty stuff.

Felons can already vote. Read between the lines. If you are off probation or parole, you can vote.

Once a felon, always a felon!

WHAT IS WRONG WITH U PEOPLE IN MADISON??? GIVE THEM THE RIGHT TO VOTE NO WAY. THEY DID THERE CRIMES OF THERE OWN FREE WILL.MOST OF THEM ARE LUCKY TO GET ANOTHER CHANCE. THEY SHOULD HAVE NO RIGHTS AT ALL.IF YOU ASK ME WE SHOULD GO BACK TO HANGING IN THE COURTHOUSE YARD LIKE THE OLD DAYS. MAYBE OTHERS WOULD THINK BEFORE THEY COMMITED CRIMES.

So after they get back the right to vote, would they then also be allowed to be put on a jury since they also aren't allowed to do that? I can see that one working out real well. Innocent no matter what buddy cause I been there and I won't send someone else there...

While many hundreds of thousands of potential non felon voters don't vote what makes you think felons would? They are the ones who made the choices that got them into trouble and are convicted felons leave the law alone.