Redefining America’s Relationship with Felony Convictions in Employment, Housing, and Voting Rights

Are a Felony Convictions Only a Stigma when you are Poor? America is often lauded as the “land of second chances.” Yet, for millions of Americans who have served time for felony convictions, that promise rings hollow. They face not just the consequences of their actions, but a lifelong burden: the stigma of a criminal record that follows them everywhere they go.

When we speak of justice, rehabilitation, and reintegration, we must also confront the irony that these same individuals, once thought worthy of freedom, are still shackled by systemic barriers to basic rights and opportunities. This is a nation that exalts the virtues of freedom and democracy, but millions of formerly incarcerated citizens remain trapped in the purgatory of a system that refuses to let them move on.

In 2024, we find ourselves at an intersection of irony and hypocrisy, as a major political figure with a criminal conviction runs for the highest office in the land. It begs the question: if a felon can run for president, why do we still deny millions of Americans the right to vote, rent a home, or land a job because of their past mistakes?

Felon disenfranchisement has a long and insidious history in the United States. The practice of stripping felons of basic civil rights — such as voting, holding public office, and accessing housing and employment — can be traced back to the post-Reconstruction era. Southern states, reeling from the abolition of slavery, used felony disenfranchisement laws to suppress the political power of Black Americans, who were disproportionately convicted of crimes. These laws, often referred to as “Black Codes,” were designed to perpetuate racial subordination under the guise of criminal justice.

But the reach of felony disenfranchisement extends far beyond race. More than nineteen million Americans — across all racial and socioeconomic backgrounds — have felony convictions on their record. And for these individuals, the punishment does not end once they have served their time. It continues in the form of discrimination, social exclusion, and legal restrictions.

The American Dream is built on the promise of opportunity: the idea that anyone, regardless of their background, can work hard and achieve success. Yet, for individuals with felony convictions, the American Dream is often out of reach.

But it’s not just about the economic cost. Denying people the chance to work undermines the very principle of rehabilitation. If individuals are punished indefinitely for their past mistakes, what incentive do they have to reintegrate into society?

The practice of “ban the box” — removing the question about criminal history from job applications — has gained traction in recent years, with thirty-seven states and over 150 cities and counties adopting such policies. However, even where “ban the box” laws are in place, discrimination persists. Employers can still conduct background checks later in the hiring process, and many are hesitant to hire individuals with felony convictions, regardless of their qualifications.

For many Americans, a criminal record is not just a barrier to employment — it is also a barrier to housing.

Federal housing policies allow landlords to reject rental applications based on a person’s criminal history, and public housing authorities can deny housing to individuals with felony convictions. The result is that many formerly incarcerated people struggle to find stable housing, which in turn makes it harder for them to reintegrate into society.

The National Alliance to End Homelessness estimates that formerly incarcerated people are ten times more likely to be homeless than the general population. In some cities, such as New York, as many as 54% of people released from prison end up in homeless shelters within two years.

Homelessness and incarceration are deeply intertwined. People who lack stable housing are more likely to be arrested, and individuals who are released from prison without a place to live are more likely to reoffend. This creates a vicious cycle: homelessness leads to incarceration, and incarceration leads to homelessness.

Solving this crisis requires a fundamental shift in how we think about housing. We must treat access to housing as a basic human right — not a privilege that can be denied based on past mistakes. Public housing authorities must eliminate blanket bans on individuals with felony convictions, and private landlords should be prohibited from using criminal history as a basis for rejecting rental applications.

Halfway house usage should be revisited. Recent administrations cut the funding for halfway homes. It would seem at times as if political parties need homelessness and crime to remain high for their talking points for re-election.

The right to vote is the cornerstone of democracy, yet millions of Americans are denied this basic civil liberty because of a felony conviction. If you can run for office as felon maybe the voting restrictions should only apply to repeat offenders.

Felony disenfranchisement laws vary widely from state to state, but in eleven states, individuals with felony convictions lose their right to vote permanently, even after they have served their time. As a result, an estimated 4.6 million Americans are disenfranchised due to felony convictions — a number that disproportionately affects Black and Brown communities.

This form of political exclusion is not just a violation of civil rights — it is a threat to democracy itself. When we deny individuals the right to vote, we deny them a voice in shaping the policies that affect their lives. We perpetuate a system in which the most marginalized members of society are systematically excluded from the political process.

In recent years, there has been a growing movement to restore voting rights to individuals with felony convictions. Florida, for example, passed a ballot initiative in 2018 that restored voting rights to 1.4 million people with felony convictions. But the fight is far from over. Many states continue to impose draconian restrictions on voting rights, and efforts to expand enfranchisement are often met with political resistance.

Restoring voting rights is not just about justice for individuals with felony convictions — it is about strengthening our democracy. When more people take part in the political process, our democracy becomes more representative and more responsive to the needs of all citizens.

The felony stigma is a deeply entrenched problem in American society, but it is not insurmountable. As we grapple with the contradictions of a system that allows a felon to run for president while denying millions of citizens basic rights, we must ask ourselves: what kind of society do we want to be?