Group wants to give voting rights back to ex-cons

A group of Iowans is pushing to restore voting rights to Iowans who’ve served their time. “Justice Reform Consortium” president Jean Basinger of Des Moines says once a person has completed their sentence and paid restitution, there’s no reason they can’t be fully-functioning citizens of the state. Basinger says Iowa’s prison system needs to do a better job of providing substance abuse treatment to those who commit crimes because of an addiction. And she says officials need to think about how prisoners will function in society once they’re released. The “Justice Reform Consortium” met with key lawmakers today at the statehouse.