The policy allows non-violent offenders to regain their rights without a hearing after being crime-free for five years after being released from prison. For certain classes of violent offenders that require clemency hearings, the waiting period is seven years.
Yeay. Great work. The sheriffs and prosecutors are happy, what else matters?
Does it matter that this goes against the goal of getting people back to work?
No.
Whatever we can do to perpetrate the criminalization of life, we're good for that.
What happened here is the most dispicable, pathetic, disgusting thing I've seen in state government in all my years as a lawyer.
Yes, I'm serious.
Here's a fact:
The public wasn't asking for this.
When our new Governor was running, the main issue was unemployment. That's why his campaign theme was "let's get to work."
Automatic restoration of civil rights gets criminals who have paid their dues, back to work. Delaying restoration of civil rights, makes it harder to get a job.
Is there any coincidence that the waiting time is 5 and 7 years? We vote for the Governor and cabinet members every 4 years. Do the math.
So if our goal is to get people to work, and the first thing our leaders do is make it more difficult to get people back to work, what do we call that?
Hypocrisy.
If we're being nice.
Brian Tannebaum is a criminal defense lawyer in Miami, Florida practicing in state and federal court, and the author of The Truth About Hiring A Criminal Defense Lawyer.
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In my experience I have never (not even once) found a prosecutor who cares about the collateral consequences to a defendant from the plea they've offered. Disappointing.
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