N.J. lawmakers seek to stop felons from running for school board

[TexasTowelie]

EDISON — After a felon had made it on this year's township school board ballot, lawmakers introduced bills that would require all board of education candidates to "certify under oath they have never been convicted of crimes that would disqualify them from campaigning for school boards."

State Sen. Patrick Diegnan (D-Middlesex) and Assemblyman Robert Karabinchak (D-Middlesex) have introduced identical bills in the state Senate and state Assembly.

Currently, felons convicted of first- and second-degree crimes cannot serve in school district positions, according to state Department of Education regulations. But those felons can serve as candidates and have their names on the ballot since criminal background checks are not conducted until after the election.

If enacted, the bills would "require school board candidates to file a formal certification — along with their nominating petition — affirming they were never convicted of any disqualifying crimes," according to a statement from Karabinchak's office.

Read more: http://www.nj.com/middlesex/index.ssf/2016/10/nj_lawmakers_seek_to_prevent_another_felon_from_ru.html

[mike_c]

1. I hate the lifelong persecution of former inmates who have served their time...

...and been released. It is the worst kind of discrimination. Well, now that I think about it-- it is a sorry reflection upon either our society or our criminal justice system. If we do it just to keep kicking them when they're down and prolong their punishment indefinitely, then it reflects terribly on our culture. If we isolate and ostracize former inmates because the criminal justice system has done nothing to rehabilitate them or prepare them for reentry into freedom, then it is an indictment of our failed criminal justice system.