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Looking at collateral consequences from "race and dignity" perspective

By Douglas A. Berman

I just noticed on SSRN this new piece, titled "Collateral Consequences of Criminal Convictions: Confronting Issues of Race and Dignity," by Michael Pinard. Here is the abstract: This article explores the racial dimensions of the various collateral consequences that attach to criminal convictions in the United States. The consequences include ineligibility for public and government-assisted housing, public benefits and various forms of employment, as well as civic exclusions such as ineligibility for jury service and felon disenfranchisement. To test its hypothesis that these penalties, both historically and contemporarily, are rooted in race, the article looks to England and Wales, Canada and South Africa. These countries have criminal justice systems similar to the United States?, have been influenced significantly by United States? criminal justice practices in recent years, have turned to increasingly punitive punishment schemes and have histories of disproportionately incarcerating people of color...continue to full post

Full post as published by Sentencing Law and Policy on September 11, 2009 (boomark / email).