Chris Dodd: “When people have paid their dues to society, they have completed their probation and whatever else is required of them…”

“When people have paid their dues to society, they have completed their probation and whatever else is required of them, the restoration of their rights is something we ought to embrace and encourage. I think it may contribute, in fact, to the rehabilitation of people who may otherwise become recidivists and rejoin the criminal element. The fact that 36 States have already, to one degree or another, embraced that concept, some more so than others, is an indication of the direction in which the country is clearly heading when it comes to how we treat former felons, even those who commit crimes that are highly objectionable, to put it mildly, to any average citizen of the country.”