Although most states have a process to allow felons to regain their rights to vote, Maine & Vermont do not restrict felons or prisoners from voting. (See John Stossel's Broadcast on October 1st, 2010)

Another good resource for felons (of all professions) is the following:

www.fortunesociety.org/

The Fortune Society:
The Fortune Society is a nonprofit social service and advocacy organization, founded in 1967, whose mission is to support successful reentry from prison and promote alternatives to incarceration, thus strengthening the fabric of our communities.

Fortune works to create a world where all who are incarcerated or formerly incarcerated can become positive, contributing members of society.

We do this through a holistic, one-stop model of service provision that includes:
  • Alternatives to Incarceration (ATI),
  • Drop-in services,
  • Employment services,
  • Education,
  • Family services,
  • Health services,
  • Housing services,
  • Substance abuse treatment,
  • Transitional services, such as the Rikers Island Discharge Enhancement (R.I.D.E.) program,
  • Recreation,
  • Lifetime aftercare.


Our service model is based on more than forty years of experience working with people with criminal records. We’ve found that without a solid foundation in core skill areas, too many of these individuals resort to the self-destructive choices that result in crime and incarceration. Our continuum of care, informed and implemented by professionals with cultural backgrounds and life experiences similar to those of our clients, helps ensure their success.

Fortune serves approximately 3,000 men and women annually via three primary New York City-area locations: our service center in Long Island City, and both the Fortune Academy (a.k.a. “the Castle”) and Castle Gardens in West Harlem. Our program models are frequently recognized, both nationally and internationally, for their quality and innovation.

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About private investigators who are ex-felons:
Although most states who license private investigators require in their applications a background check and prefer a clean record, the state also has an appeal process where the ex-felon can petition the licensing board to approve the PI License for an ex-felon. The guidelines for the approval usually include:

  • How old the conviction was
  • What the crime was
  • What the ex-felon has been doing since the felony was committed
  • What the ex-felon's current community reputation is.


Example:
G Gordon Liddy, who was convicted in the 1970's for the infamous break-in of the Watergate Hotel during the presidential campaign, served several years in federal prison. Once he was released, he began the process of becoming a licensed private investigator in Florida, with his first step toward starting a school for private investigators. His PI License was eventually approved (which we suspect was through the use of a licensed PI who sponsored him). He later went on to become a national radio talk-show host.

Solutions:

The International Private Investigators Union, which has aided over 70,000 private investigators and trainees since 1989, offers several memberships to get started, including help in obtaining a sponsor for you to obtain your license.

Member details are here:

www.privateinvestigator.cc/index.php?cPath=67

Or, you can call the office at 406-534-0251

Other topics:

http://www.ipiu.org/forums/showthrea...gators-license

http://www.ipiu.org/forums/showthrea...igators-Forums

http://www.ipiu.org/forums/showthrea...gators-license

http://www.ipiu.org/forums/showthrea...e-investigator