Social Issues

Voting Justice for Formerly Incarcerated Persons in Florida

Overview of the Issue

The common practice in the US is to deny felons the right to vote; however, some states, like Florida, are taking steps to upend this law. In Florida, a law was passed in 2018 to allow people who have prior felony convictions, apart from sexual offenses and murder, to vote. According to a 2016 news report, approximately 1.5 million Floridians were being barred from voting because they had felony convictions (Conark, 2016): Social Issues.

A high percentage of these felons were African American due to racial biases in the criminal justice system. For instance, the war on drugs has led to the long-term imprisonment of many African Americans for minor offenses like possession of marijuana, even in the smallest amounts. Subsequently, this means that certain demographics are significantly affected by this rule more than others, which is a perpetuation of the racism in the system, carrying it from one system to another, making certain communities oppressed in all areas.

Oppositions

However, led by Governor Ron DeSantis and state Republicans, the policy to allow released felons to vote was opposed, and an amendment was made that required these individuals to pay fees, restitution, and outstanding fees in order to have this right (Anguille, 2024). Opponents argue that people with felony convictions should be denied certain societal benefits, and voting is one of those benefits. As such, people who cannot afford to pay the required fees per the amendment cannot vote, and sometimes, due to the complicated procedures, some end up missing some fees and are charged with voter fraud, ending up in jail again.

Notably, these payments have been compared to poll taxes, which are almost similar to the laws during the Jim Crow era, whereby only those who could pay could vote. As a result, they serve as a deterrent to millions of people to vote, a number that is large enough to sway the total count of the votes of a state.

Impact on Social Work Practice

The knowledge of this issue will inform social workers about policies needing advocacy to help solve the financial barriers that individuals, such as formerly incarcerated persons, face so that they can have their voting rights. In addition, the process of paying all the charges can be complex, as already mentioned; therefore, social workers with this knowledge can better educate individuals on the payment procedure and help connect clients to resources like legal aid or advocacy groups to help them through the process of getting their voting rights back.

In addition, social workers can work with organizations like the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) that advocate for the rights of formerly incarcerated persons by actively fighting the amendment mandating payment of a voting fee by these persons. Such organizations also have the resources to help people with felony convictions complete the payment process and, as such, would be a good connection for a social worker.

Environmental Justice in the Work Environment and Heat-Related Death

Overview of the Issue

Due to climate change, reports indicate that there has been an upward trend in extreme heat incidents. Urban areas usually experience higher temperatures due to congested structures, mostly tall buildings, which absorb heat and reemit it more than natural structures like mountains, rivers, and trees. This leads to high concentrated temperatures in urban areas, hence the designated term, heat islands. Most working spaces are usually located in urban areas, where there are many activities.

In addition to the heat from buildings, many activities lead to increased heat; for example, a lot of traffic means a lot of exhaust gases hanging in the air, creating a “blanket” that traps heat. Taking all this into consideration and the fact that global temperatures are increasing rapidly, many workers are at risk of heat-related deaths and illnesses. The lack of federal heat safety standards has only aggravated the issue, leaving workers exposed to dangerous environments, particularly in states with weaker labor laws (Lin et al., 2023).

Oppositions

The opposition regarding the issue of environmental justice in the work environment and heat-related death mostly emanates from industries, companies, and owners of buildings or factories where business operations take place. These businesses tend to minimize the severity of how much extreme heat environments are harmful to avoid taking up the financial responsibility of the operational costs safeguarding their workplaces would require. Notably, for centuries, workers have been fighting for conducive working conditions, and one would think that all the tragedies that have happened would be a thing of the past.

An example of this is the Triangle Shirtwaist factory, where workers complained about bad working conditions and went on strike, but the owners of the factory used their power to get the police to end the strike. A little over a year later, the factory caught fire, and one hundred and forty-six people died while a dozen others were severely injured.

Impact on Social Work Practice

Knowledge of this issue affects social work practice in several ways. One of the responsibilities of social workers is social welfare, whereby, among other things, they are required to advocate for conducive living conditions, which include where people work. Accordingly, with the knowledge that climate change is affecting working conditions, social workers can better advocate for policies that mandate heat safety standards in places of work. In addition, social workers can educate different communities on their rights as workers.

Besides, individuals, such as immigrant workers, who do not know their rights face a high probability of exploitation and working in bad conditions without protective measures. Yet, because some individuals from vulnerable communities may be desperate to make a living, they are likely to work in poor working conditions and put themselves in danger without much thought. However, social workers can intervene and help them by educating them on their rights.

Question: Can social workers help workers in forming unions so that they can fight against unfair working conditions?

References

Anguille, M. (2024, October 11). Could this make it easier to vote in Florida if you have a felony conviction? YES! Magazine. https://www.yesmagazine.org/opinion/2024/10/11/florida-election-voting-felony

Conark, B. (2016, October 6). Report: Felony convictions bar more than 1.5 million Floridians from voting. The Florida Times-Union. https://www.jacksonville.com/story/news/2016/10/06/report-felony-convictions-bar-more-15-million-floridians-voting/15727057007/

Lin, N. W., Ramirez-Cardenas, A., Wingate, K. C., King, B. S., Scott, K., & Hagan-Haynes, K. (2023). Risk factors for heat-related illness resulting in death or hospitalization in the oil and gas extraction industry. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene, 21(1), 58–67. https://doi.org/10.1080/15459624.2023.2268142

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Choose two of the social issues from the reading section of this module to focus on.

• Voting Justice for Formerly Incarcerated Persons in Florida
• Environmental Justice in the Work Environment and Heat-Related Death
• Social Justice – LGBTQ Bodily Integrity, Protection, and Autonomy
• Reproductive Justice and Curing Sickle Cell Disease
  

  Social Issues

In a post, answer the following questions for both of the issues you chose from the list above:

• In 150 words, provide an overview of the issue.
• In 150 words, explain if any oppositions (either political, individual, or social) occurred.
• In 150 words, how can knowledge of this issue affect social work practice?
• Write one question, related to the content in this module, that you would like the instructor to answer.