A BETTER IDEA FOR CLEMENCY

State Should Restore Ex-Felons' Rights Automatically

Gov. Jeb Bush's plan to hire extra staffers to expedite clemency
petitions is a good idea. Here's a better one: Skip the bureaucracy
and just give people their rights back after they've paid their debt
to society.

Florida is one of the few states where felons' rights aren't
automatically restored after the completion of their sentence. As a
result, thousands of Floridians can't vote, can't serve on juries and
are restricted from working at jobs ranging from hairdressing to real-
estate sales. The burden is tremendous and lifelong, punishing many
who have been living law-abiding lives for decades.

The denial of civil rights flies in the face of everything that's
known about crime and rehabilitation. Felons have the best chance of
getting their lives back on track when they feel a strong sense of
connection to their community and have hope for a successful,
crime-free life in the future. Restoring voting rights can be an
important part of that reclamation process, and opening the door to
the multitude of licensed professions in the state makes sense for
those who have to find a legitimate way to support themselves in society.

Previous governors have informally rectified this injustice by
granting clemency to almost anyone who asked, or creating simple
processes by which rights could be automatically restored. But under
Lawton Chiles and Jeb Bush, the clemency process became nearly
impossible to navigate. A recent investigation by the Miami Herald
revealed that the state Clemency Board has more than 4,000 requests
pending but hears fewer than 40 a year.

Bush's answer is to add 40 staffers to review requests, at a cost of
$1.5 million a year. That proposal follows another Bush plan that
would simplify the process for those who have lived crime-free for
several years.

Both measures would be an improvement on the current system, but it's
hard to see why it's necessary. An easier, cheaper and more humane
approach would be to make rights restoration automatic upon successful
completion of sentences. State leaders might consider a short waiting
period for those convicted of the most serious crimes, but for most
people, civil rights restoration is an important step towards true
rehabilitation, and one the state should embrace whole-heartedly.