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ACLU to Open Rights Restoration Advocacy
Centers in Pensacola, Miami on December 13
December 11, 2003
Contact:
Miami: Alessandra Soler Meetze, ACLU-FL Communications Director, (305)
576-2337 ext. 16
Pensacola: Susan Watson, Pensacola Chapter Chair, 850-432-2520
MIAMI & PENSACOLA - In an effort to provide people with past felony convictions with effective assistance for the restoration of their civil rights, the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida will open two advocacy centers in Miami and Pensacola.
'For the more than half-a-million Floridians who have been essentially declared non-citizens for life, the effort to recover their basic rights of citizenship requires persistence and determination,' said Howard Simon, Executive Director of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Florida.
The Miami center will be open to applicants with prior reservations from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Dec. 13 at Better Way House of Bargains, 100 NE 79th St., Miami. In Pensacola, applicants will receive assistance from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the ACLU Northwest Office, 1603 N. Davis. To make reservations call 305-576-2337 ext. 21 in Miami or 850-432-2520 in Pensacola. Both centers in Miami and Pensacola will assist applicants on the second Saturday of each month. The Miami center is co-sponsored by the Homeless/Formerly Homeless Forum. The ACLU plans to open additional rights restoration advocacy centers in Tallahassee and Tampa.
Florida is one of only six states to strip people of their civil and voting rights following conviction of a felony, even after completion of their sentences. Loss of civil rights takes away not only the right to vote, but also the right to hold state licenses necessary for many jobs. In order to restore those rights, citizens with past felony convictions must complete a 'Restoration of Civil Rights' (RCR) application. The entire process is complicated and takes years. Even then, there is no guarantee that an applicant's rights will be restored.
The Rights Restoration Advocacy Centers will provide applicants with one-on-one assistance throughout the entire process of applying for restoration of civil rights - from the initial application through the follow-up steps that are necessary to develop a personal portfolio and prepare for a final hearing before the Clemency Board, which is made up of the Governor and his Cabinet members. Only the Clemency Board has the power to restore a person's voting and civil rights.
The ACLU has organized dozens of workshops across Florida to assist people in completing the initial form to apply for rights restoration. With the opening of the advocacy centers, former felons will be able to meet with attorneys, law students and volunteers during scheduled appointments where they'll learn about the rights restoration process in more detail. The ACLU will assist applicants in compiling portfolios complete with letters of recommendation, court documents and personal accomplishments. Volunteers also will help prepare applicants for their hearings before the Clemency Board.
'Most people are on their own when it comes to submitting applications,' said Courtenay Strickland, Voting Rights Project Director. 'The state tells them what forms to fill out, but they don't provide any assistance on how to succeed in the process. That's where we come in: to increase of the number of applicants who actually succeed in restoring their civil and voting rights.'
According to the Florida Department of Corrections, only 927 people had their rights restored in 2000 - significantly fewer that the 15,000 restorations granted in 1986. More than 30,000 applications await review by the Office of Executive Clemency. Despite severe budget shortfalls, the state is spending at least $1 million this year on a process most states find unnecessary.
