https://www.register-herald.com/opinion/editorials/virginia-has-a-new-name-for-convicted-felons/article_65d5917f-39d6-55a5-9f2e-cbe872e2623e.html

Can you believe this? Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, a Democrat, now has a new title for convicted felons.

He’s calling them “returning citizens” upon their release from state correctional facilities.

That’s right. Convicted drug dealers, child rapists, pedophiles and murderers are now no longer considered former convicts in the Commonwealth. Instead, they are “returning citizens,” a new politically correct term being used by Northam and his Democratic administration.

Really? A child rapist, who must register for life as a sex offender upon his or her release from prison, is being accepted by the left as a “returning citizen”?

Adding further insult to injury, Northam also announced last week that he has restored voting and other civil rights to more than 22,000 felons who have completed their sentences. The restored rights include the right to vote, serve on a jury and run for public office.

That’s right. Once again convicted drug dealers and sexual predators will now be able to run for public office in Virginia thanks to Northam and Virginia Democrats.

In a press release issued by Northam last week about the looming October 2020 deadline for citizens to apply for a REAL ID-compliant driver’s license or ID, Northam repeatedly refers to the ex-convicts as “returning citizens.” Never does he use the term “convicted felon.”

“A state-issued ID can be the key to finding opportunity after incarceration, from connecting with social services, to opening a bank account, getting a job, securing stable housing, and pursuing an education,” Northam said in the press release. “We are fully committed to ensuring returning citizens have access to the support they need to successfully reintegrate into society, and having identification that is REAL ID-compliant will be a valuable tool in reducing recidivism and helping them start out on a positive path upon release.”

Northam’s terminology is ridiculous. It’s another example of political correctness run amok in blue-leaning Virginia.

It is true that these convicted felons have paid their dues to society upon their release from prison, and they are entitled to a second chance at life — provided they keep their nose clean and abide by the terms of their probation, extended supervision or sex offender registration. However, there is absolutely no justification for convicted murderers, child molesters, rapists and drug dealers to be granted a special politically correct designation by Northam.

Northam’s actions are contradictory to common sense. If you commit a crime, you must pay the time. And as part of that payment, a criminal keeps his record of crimes against society on record. A registered sex offender is a registered sex offender for life. Calling a convicted child rapist a “returning citizen” will not conceal his or her past. A felon is a felon.

Shame on Northam and those Virginia Democrats who insist on this nonsense.