State Clemency Official to Black Applicant: How Many Kids Do You Have? By How Many Different Mothers

Erwin Jones, an African-American man, was standing before the governor and Cabinet on June 14 when Florida’s Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis asked him how many children he had and “how many different mothers to those children?”

Jones had served time for a felony at least five years before. He was in Tallahassee that day to get permission from Gov. Rick Scott and the Cabinet, sitting as the Executive Clemency Board, to get back his civil rights – to vote, sit on a jury, or run for public office.

The arbitrary public questioning about Jones’ family status is an example, advocates say, of the deeply flawed process felons face when seeking official clemency to restore their civil rights in Florida.

Later in the meeting, Patronis put another man – William Reid Hicks – on the spot, asking him if he went to church. Hicks was there seeking permission from the Executive Clemency Board to own a firearm so he could go hunting again with his wife. He hesitated to discuss the details of his devotion.

“Not steady,” he told the state’s top elected officials.

Patronis — who is running for reelection in November — thanked Hicks for being honest.

Richard Greenberg, a Tallahassee attorney with 28 years of experience representing people seeking clemency, said he was surprised to hear Patronis question applicants about their church attendance.

“I don’t think I’ve heard anyone else ask that question. It seems totally irrelevant,” Greenberg said.

In most states, felons automatically get their right to vote and other civil rights restored after completing their sentences, parole, probation and restitution. But Florida is one of only four states where former felons lose the right to vote permanently and have only the option of the opaque clemency process to get their rights restored.



https://www.floridaphoenix.com/2018/07/05/challenging-floridas-voter-restoration-process/