James Jeter

James Jeter is the Co-Director of the Full Citizens Coalition to Unlock the Vote in Connecticut.

In The Sentencing Project’s report, Expanding the Vote: State Felony Disenfranchisement Reform, 1997-2023, he shares his firsthand experience on his involvement with the justice system and the importance of voting rights.

I was incarcerated when I was a teenager, and spent more than 19 years in prison. During that time, I learned that incarcerated people are very politically engaged, and want to get involved – they just need to be given the resources to do so.

I’m particularly excited to continue engaging communities in under-resourced and heavily policed cities throughout Connecticut like Hartford, Waterbury and Bridgeport. I understand these communities, and the political alienation that stems from their disenfranchisement.

Restoring the right to vote is smart policy. It enables people who are incarcerated to feel connected to their communities, especially as they re-enter society, and therefore reduces the likelihood of them taking part in criminal activity and returning to prison. After all, if I’m an active voter then I’m an active voice in my community. But all that is held up if I’m not given the right to vote.