ACLU, Sen. Joyner, Rep. Reed, FRRC Host 8/18 Rights Restoration Resource Fair
Advisory: Rights Restoration Resource Fair in Tampa, August 18 State Sen. Arthenia Joyner, Rep. Betty Reed, civic groups to provide resources for formerly-incarcerated Floridians to restore civil rights and safely reintegrate into communities
CONTACT: Joyce Hamilton Henry, Mid-Florida Regional Director, ACLU of Florida jhamiltonhenry@aclufl.org
TAMPA – The ACLU of Florida, along with State Sen. Arthenia Joyner and Rep. Betty Reed invite the community to a Rights Restoration Resource Fair on August 18, 2012 at the Lee Davis Neighborhood Service Center. The fair will serve as an opportunity for formerly-incarcerated Floridians to learn about the process for restoration of civil and voting rights.
Florida is one of only four states (Virginia, Kentucky and Iowa being the others) that impose lifetime disenfranchisement upon conviction of a felony. A staggering 1,059,301 Florida citizens are disenfranchised. This is 3 times the number of the next nearest state – Texas. Of the 5.8 million disfranchised citizens in the Unites States, one-quarter are Floridians. Florida’s disfranchisement rate is the highest in the country – 10.42% of the state’s voting age population is disfranchised, and a shocking 23% of Florida’s African-American population is disfranchised. Groups represented at the fair will help impacted individuals through the rights restoration process and help them participate in our democracy.
Rights Restoration Resource Fair
August 18th, 2012
10 AM – 1 PM
Lee Davis Neighborhood Service Center
3402 N. 22nd Street, Tampa 33605
Groups and offices who will be represented at the fair include:
Clerk of the Circuit Court, providing free certified copies of documents
Florida Parole Commission, providing free evaluation rights restoration status
Office of Public Defender, with information about sealing and expungement
Re-Entry organizations for free job referrals
Supervisor of Elections for voter registration
The fair is free and open to the public and is co-sponsored by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Florida, Florida Rights Restoration Coalition (FRRC), and Hillsborough County Social Services
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