NACDL - Restoration of Rights Resources

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Reports

Locked Out 2022: Estimates of People Denied Voting Rights, The Sentencing Project, Oct. 2022.
The Initial Collateral Consequences of Pretrial Detention: Employment, Residential Stability and Family Relationships, New York City Criminal Justice Agency, September 2022.
No More Double Punishments: Lifting the Ban on SNAP and TANF for People with Prior Felony Drug Convictions, CLASP, April 2022.
The Many Roads from Reentry to Reintegration: A National Survey of Laws Restoring Rights and Opportunities After Arrest or Conviction, Collateral Consequences Resource Center, March 2022.
The High Cost of a Fresh Start: A State-by-State Analysis of Court Debt as a Bar to Record Clearing, National Consumer Law Center and Collateral Consequences Resource Center, February 2022.
Waiting for Relief: A National Survey of Waiting Periods for Record Clearing, Collateral Consequences Resource Center, February 2022.
From Reentry to Reintegration: Criminal Record Reforms in 2021, Collateral Consequences Resource Center, January 2022.
Fair Chance Licensing Project: State Expand Access to In-Demand Jobs, Council of State Governments Justice Center, 2021.
Beyond the Record: A Justice-Oriented Approach to Background Checks, John Jay College Institute for Justice and Opportunity, Sept. 2021.
Reintegration Reform Returns to Pre-Pandemic Levels in First Half of 2021, Collateral Consequences Resource Center, July 2021.
The Reintegration Agenda During Pandemic: Criminal Record Reforms in 2020, Collateral Consequences Resource Center, Jan. 2021.
Barriers to Rapidly Growing Professions State Fact Sheets, National Employment Law Project, Dec. 2020.
Who Must Pay to Regain the Vote? A 50-State Survey, Collateral Consequences Resource Center, Nov. 2020.
The Many Roads to Reintegration, Collateral Consequences Resource Center, September 2020.
Barred from Working: A Nationwide Study of Occupational Licensing Barriers for Ex-Offenders, Institute for Justice, June 2020.
From Surviving to Thriving: Supporting Transformation, Reentry and Connections to Employment for Young Adults, CLASP, February 2020.
Pathways to Reintegration: Criminal Record Reforms in 2019, Collateral Consequences Resource Center, February 2020.
Laying the Groundwork: How States Can Improve Access to Continued Education for People in the Criminal Justice System, Council of State Governments Justice Center, February 2020.
Felony Disenfranchisement in the Commonwealth of Kentucky: An Update, League of Women Voters of Kentucky, February 2020.
A Never-Ending Sentence: The Impact of Criminal Conviction in Project Based Section 8 Housing Tenant Selection Plans in Cuyahoga County, Reentry Policy & Advocacy Committee, January 2020.
Report by the Restoration of Voting Rights Work Group to the President of the Florida Senate and the Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives, Department of State, November 2019.
Collateral Consequences: The Crossroads of Punishment, Redemption, and the Effects on Communities, U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, June 2019.
Unlocking Potential: Pathways from Prison to Postsecondary Education, Vera Institute of Justice, May 2019.
Expanding the Vote: Two Decades of Felony Disenfranchisement Reforms, The Sentencing Project, October 2018.
Forgiving and Forgetting in American Justice: A 50-State Guide to Expungement and Restoration of Rights, Collateral Consequences Resource Center, April 2018.
One Strike and You’re Out: How We Can Eliminate Barriers to Economic Security and Mobility for People with Criminal Records, Center for American Progress, December 2014.
A Lifetime of Punishment: The Impact of the Felony Drug Ban on Welfare Benefits, The Sentencing Project, 2013.
Wanted: Accurate FBI Background Checks for Employment, The National Employment Law Project, July 2013.
Osler, Mark William, Clemency for the 21st Century: A Systemic Reform of the Federal Clemency Process, April 2013.
Status of Ex-Offender Reentry Efforts in Cities, The United States Conference of Mayors, 2009.
More Than a Job: Final Results from the Evaluation of the Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO) Transitional Jobs Program, Center for Employment Opportunities, January 2012.

NACDL Reports

Defending Against the Criminalization of Voting

People with past felony convictions have been prosecuted for registering to vote, casting ballots, or seeking to register while ineligible. It seems that the purpose of these prosecutions is to intimidate eligible voters with past felony convictions and keep them away from the ballot box. Democracy needs champions to defend people who acted in good faith but are being prosecuted for violating election laws. Voting rights restoration expert Blair Bowie offers tips that may help build a strong defense.