海角大神

Brexit was all about getting out of a controversial union with Europe. But the effort to 鈥済o it alone鈥� may further fray the ties that bind the members of the United Kingdom.

In a democracy, the digital microtargeting of political ads opens up the potential of more effective communication. Why Republicans have an edge. 聽

How communities rebuild after natural disasters raises moral questions about equality that may only get more acute as storms intensify due to climate change. Who gets to rebuild?

Conflicting perceptions of safety seem to drive the debate on safe injection sites. Critics argue they enable illegal drug use. Supporters say they enable survival.

If you鈥檙e looking for a gift or a good hygge read, we invite you to scroll our selection of the 13 best nonfiction books of the year. Got a hankering for historic Hollywood? 鈥淭he Queens of Animation鈥� details the fight against sexism by the women who worked at the Walt Disney Studios. Or, how about a window on 鈥淵oung Castro,鈥� the early life of a book lover and idealist, before the beard. And 鈥淢usic: A Subversive History鈥� provides portraits of humanity鈥檚 creative disruptors, from Johann Sebastian Bach to Jay-Z.聽

As his first major act in office, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear helped a group that didn鈥檛 vote for him. The group didn鈥檛 have that option.

On Dec. 12, Mr. Beshear signed an executive order that restored the right to vote and to hold public office to more than 140,000 Kentuckians who had finished their sentences for criminal convictions. 鈥淏y restoring these voting rights, we declare that everyone counts in Kentucky,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e all matter.鈥�

The decision follows a wave of reenfranchisements that has swept the country in the last two decades. Almost half the nation鈥檚 states have passed similar legislation since 1997, restoring voting rights to more than 1.5 million Americans. Iowa is now alone in withholding an automatic right to vote from former felons upon leaving prison.

For Kentucky, the executive order is not a small matter. The state has had the third-highest disenfranchisement rate in the country. One in 10 of its citizens couldn鈥檛 vote, including 1 in 4 African Americans. Those seeking to regain their right had to individually apply to the governor. Now that right will be restored automatically. People who complete their sentences will again be citizens in full.

More broadly, the governor鈥檚 decision is significant in where it stops. The second section of the order states that it applies only to those convicted of nonviolent offenses. So while received as an act of forgiveness, Mr. Beshear鈥檚 order shows that forgiveness too has its limits. Not everyone counts.

Who deserves a second chance? The question is gaining attention in an age in which criminal justice reform has become a bipartisan issue. It鈥檚 easy for most to forgive those convicted of low-level drug offenses 鈥� as Oklahoma did in November. But forgiving those who commit violent crimes or sex offenses is a thornier issue. In fact, the previous governor, Matt Bevin, was widely criticized for pardoning more than 400 convicts, some sentenced for murder and rape, before he left office.

As reformers attempt to refocus the criminal justice system on rehabilitation, Americans will need to decide who they think deserves rehabilitation. Research shows sex offenders re-offend at lower rates than those convicted of many other crimes, such as theft. The extremely abhorrent nature of their crime, though, makes it easy to understand why many worry about blanket reintegration 鈥� and may prefer no reintegration at all. How do you maintain rights of those who served their time and still protect your community? The question is still open.

One reason that criminal justice reform has become so popular is a large share of Americans have had a loved one in prison at some point. Such an experience can create avenues for empathy.

The wave of reenfranchisements may do just the same. Former felons vote at disproportionately low rates, but as questions of reform and forgiveness gain prominence, their past experiences will become more valuable. To create a more compassionate and restorative prison system, it may help to ask for ideas from those who have been in prison. At least now, in most places, they can put their opinions into action at the voting booth or as a political candidate.聽