In the near future, it will become more common to see former felons serving on juries at least in California. After January 1, most Californians with a felony conviction will be allowed to serve as jurors so long as they are no longer on parole or probation. This change was made possible by SB 310 introduced by Senator Nancy Skinner. To read more about the pros and cons of allowing felons on juries go here.
First, Louisiana overturned years of practice and voted to prohibit non-unanimous verdicts late last year. Now, the state is considering whether to allow former felons the ability to serve as jurors. House Bill 65, sponsored by Rep. Ted James, D-Baton Rouge, permits convicted felons who have been off parole or probation for more than 5 years to sit on juries. If enacted into law, this bill would mark quite a turnaround for a state that has long been viewed by many as behind the times with respect to criminal law reform.
New York state senator Brian Benjamin recently introduced legislation to lift the state's ban on ex-felons serving as jurors. According to Benjamin, “[i]f a person has completed the sentence for a felony, that person should be considered rehabilitated and given the opportunity to the full rights of citizenship, including the right to serve on a jury.” It appears that this legislation, S00221, may have a decent chance of being enacted. There is a companion bill in the state Assembly and the senate version was recently passed out of committee despite concerns by both the ABA and the state's Republican minority party. If S00221 becomes law, NY will become one of the few states that allow felons to serve on juries. While there has been a big push to restore voting rights to felons, the same cannot be said for sitting on a jury.
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