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Incarceration and Enfranchisement: International Practices, Impact and Recommendations for Reform
Introduction Ex-prisoner Joe Loya describes his reintegration into democratic society in the following way: "A few weeks ago I received voter-registration material in the mail. There it was, clearly marked, my disqualification. 'You must NOT be in prison or on parole for the conviction of a felony.' "I felt obligated to press further, to fight for the privilege. I telephoned the registrar and explained that I'm on 'supervisory release,' not parole. Could I vote? "She had to check. On hold, I thought about the almost 3 million felons like me who have served our sentences but still can't vote. Some of us are permanently barred. She came back on line. "'Nope, you still can't vote.' "I came out of prison wanting to think and act 100 percent different than when I went in. I supposed that the opposite of the virulently anti-social criminal is an optimistic civic-minded citizen." Joe’s experience is not unique to the United States. Dozens of other nations place either temporary or permanent voting restrictions on individuals who have been or are currently incarcerated, causing distressing numbers of individuals to be excluded from the civil process. This paper addresses the issues surrounding the enfranchisement (or disenfranchisement) of the penal and ex-penal population worldwide. It begins by addressing the historical and theoretical basis for the exclusion of prisoners and ex-prisoners from the vote. Legal exclusions in most countries consider removal from the civil process as an additional punishment for those who have broken the law. This project then explores various international and peace agreements that govern the voting rights of prisoners and ex-prisoners. As we will see, these agreements are often at odds with country-specific laws. Nations that include or exclude prisoners and exprisoners are then categorized and ranked on a four-point scale according to level of inclusion in the political process. From these classifications, several country-based case studies are presented and analyzed with more depth to provide a cultural and political sense of the practices and impacts in specific countries. Finally, recommendations on reform and informational products are offered as a way to tie together multiple forms of international practice on prisoner’s rights.
June 30, 2003
Publication
Report/Paper
International Observation Mission Paraguay: General Elections April 27, 2003. Final Report
This report is issued as a record of the observations made by the IFES mission concerning the 2003 nationwide elections in Paraguay. It also presents a series of technical suggestions for the consideration of the Paraguayan government in the organization and administration of future elections.
June 18, 2003
Publication
Report/Paper
Paraguay: Mision de Observacion Internacional, Elecciones Generales, 27 de Abril del 2003, Informe Final
June 18, 2003
Publication
Report/Paper
Evaluation of IFES Civic Education Programs in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic and Tajikistan
IFES has an active civic education program in the Central Asian republics of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. The program consists of seven activities--almost all of them directed at high school students--with four of the activities operational in all three countries.
May 31, 2003
News & Updates
Press Release
Viewing Armenian Elections Through a Disability Lens
Against a backdrop of troubled Presidential elections in February and March of this year, and the more recent National Assembly elections on May 25, 2003, a small Armenian NGO shined its light on the electoral process, acting as a reminder that democracy’s work is not complete until all citizens can exercise their universal right to vote.
Publication
Report/Paper
Money and Politics in Indonesia - Vol. 4
Published in May 2003, this report examines opportunities for improving regulation and disclosure of political party and candidate funding in the election campaign through the development of comprehensive implementing regulations by Indonesia's General Election Commission (KPU) and through the monitoring of news media and civil society.
April 30, 2003
Publication
Report/Paper
Barriers to the Enforcement of Court Judgments and the Rule of Law
IFES produced a first-of-its-kind global comparative and analytical report on the enforcement of civil and commercial judgments and judgments against the State, with a particular focus on Latin America. This report focuses on country case studies in Argentina and Mexico and also includes expert survey research related to Peru and three countries of the former Soviet Union, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia. It builds upon preliminary research and previous studies undertaken by the World Bank, the Council of Europe and legal experts. This report was made possible through a close partnership with leading nongovernmental organizations in Argentina (FORES) and Mexico (CIDE) and through interviews with scholars, practitioners, judges and users of the court systems in the countries surveyed.
April 30, 2003
Publication
Report/Paper
IFES Civic Education Project, Democracy in Kazakhstan, 2002-2003
This report summarizes the IFES Civic Education Project in Kazakhstan from 2002-2003. The report includes diagrams from the Civic Education Course, Civics tournament, Student groups and summer camps.
March 31, 2003
Publication
Report/Paper
Statement of the Council of Presidents and Prime Ministers of the Americas
The Carter Center convened the conference “Financing Democracy: Political Parties, Campaigns, and Elections” in collaboration with the Organization of American States’ Inter-American Forum on Political Parties. A group of government and political party leaders, prominent scholars, policy experts, private sector representatives, civil society leaders, media professionals and international organizations from the Western Hemisphere met for two and half days in plenary sessions and working groups to discuss the dilemmas of political financing. They offered their advice to The Carter Center’s Council of Presidents and Prime Ministers of the Americas, and the Council now offers the following conclusions and recommendations.
March 18, 2003