Once the debt has been paid, all rights should be restored. That requires a change in the existing reglations regarding ex-cons, but it also imposes a stricter obligation on the criminal justice system to scrutinize the cons it’s releasing back into the public sphere.
Conviction for multiple felonies or certain more heinous crimes should include the option of being stripped of all or some of your rights, even post-release, as part of the sentence.
Ok, you hire them.
The ‘debt’ is not ‘paid.’
The convict has been punished. That’s all. The window is still broken, the victim has not been made whole. There is no reason to extend trust.
If Mr. Stossel wants to fix this, I recommend he look into establishing a bonding system for ex-cons. Employers can then hire ex-cons knowing that they have recourse if the ex-con betrays them.
Once you’ve paid for your crime, we should forgive people their past and let them make a fresh start.
There are crimes of course for which people should never be released.
But it hardly makes sense to close scores of occupations to ex-cons. Who we protecting? The public?
I think not. People deserve a second chance because this is America.