From WTTW:
In the U.S., many people view incarceration as the punishment one receives for breaking the law. But a recently released study from the anti-poverty organization Heartland Alliance indicates that for the more than 3.3 million people with criminal records in Illinois, punishment continues well beyond time served. The report exposes hundreds of laws and restrictions that make it prohibitively difficult for people with criminal records to rebuild their lives after incarceration.
This week, Heartland Alliance and other human rights advocates launched a statewide effort called the Fully Free Campaign to end those laws and sanctions.
Fully Free Campaign Manager Marlon Chamberlain says the organization chose its words carefully in describing this issue.
“The reason why we decided to call them ‘permanent punishments’ and not ‘collateral consequences’ is because collateral consequence suggests that this was accidental, and we don’t believe that this web of laws were accidental,” Chamberlain said. “And so we decided to call them permanent punishments because that’s exactly what they are. It’s like a punishment after the punishment after you’ve been released from incarceration.” Continue reading >>>
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