Can a Felon Become a Sovereign Citizen?

Becoming a sovereign citizen starts by declaring yourself as one. There is no application process, no judges, and no paperwork. Sovereign citizenship is a mindset, a systematic belief system. That being said, can felons become sovereign citizens?

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What Is Sovereign Citizenship?

Sovereign citizenship is a political movement at its core. Those that self-declare as being sovereign citizens believe that laws enforced by major governments across the world do not apply to them, they believe that governments abuse their power and use it in malicious ways. Sovereign citizens follow their own version of “common law” – the laws that are universal across a nation or area.

Sovereign citizens do not believe in state appointed authority such as police officers, judges, or lawyers. Sovereign citizens only believe in their interpretation of common law and nothing more.

Because sovereign citizens do not accept state appointed authority, the conclusion can be made that felons are welcomed by other citizens. In the eyes of sovereign citizens, there are no such thing as felons, only people that broke the laws enforced by the government, laws that sovereign citizens don’t agree with.

The controversy surrounding sovereign citizenship is strong; some fully endorse the idea and cheer on sovereign citizens, while others view them as people that have a problem with authority and only like to cause problems. This article is not intended to hold any bias since all of the facts and sources have come directly from research institutions.

Felons and Sovereign Citizenship

Sovereign citizens have been known to cause upheaval and controversy, over the last decade there have been countless viral videos of sovereign citizens getting arrested by police for a number of reasons, the most popular being resisting arrest.

Felons, especially felons that are on probation or parole, should stay far away from sovereign citizens. It simply is not worth the risk. If a felon becomes a self-proclaimed sovereign citizen and gets pulled over by the police, the encounter will not end well, most likely ending in an arrest. If the felon is a true sovereign citizen, the felon will not cooperate with the police officer. This means the felon will refuse to hand over any personal identification and refuse to talk to the officer. The officer will radio for another patrol unit to help assist in the situation, only escalating the situation further. It is not worth the risk.

A standard traffic stop can result in years of prison time due to felons being uncooperative. It is not worth the risk.

The Appeal Sovereign Citizenship Has for Felons.

Some felons take refuge in sovereign citizenship; perhaps due to a wrongful conviction or charges that the felon deems as illegitimate, while some felons are drawn to sovereign citizenship because the belief system provides them comfort. The inability for felons to own a gun or have a certain job can make some felons feel lesser than their counterparts in society. Sovereign citizenship sets an equal playing field for felons, a field where there are no restrictions on what felons can and cannot do. Felons are free within the ideas of sovereign citizenship.

Many felons who have spent an extended period of time in prison, where they are constantly ordered around feel drawn to sovereign citizenship because it is the exact opposite of their conditions inside the correctional facility.

It is a mixture of freedom and comfort that entices felons to adapt the ideas of sovereign citizenship into their lives. Felons are allowed to act however they would like to when they are released from prison, and if a felon wants to become a sovereign citizen that is entirely their right to do so. Being a sovereign citizen is not illegal by itself, it is some of the unintentional crimes that a few sovereign citizens have committed that have landed them in jail.

How to Become a Sovereign Citizen.

Anyone can become a sovereign citizen, all that is required is join is to fully embrace the ideas and beliefs that sovereign citizenship holds. These beliefs can be found all over the internet. Here are just a few common beliefs that sovereign citizens follow.

That many governments are illegitimate (including the United States).
That the laws enforced by illegitimate governments should not be followed.
That no one is superior to one another- that we are all equal and should be able to live freely without interference from governments or other people.

These three beliefs help paint a picture of what sovereign citizenship looks like. For those who want to embrace sovereign citizenship in a more direct way, there are many websites and online forums dedicated to discussing sovereign citizenship.

It is important to note that the sovereign citizenship movement does not have an official list of guidelines to become a citizen. There is no need to pay dues or to be sworn in, because those things go directly against what sovereign citizens are fighting for- the freedom to do what someone wants to do freely and independently.

Sovereign citizenship is an international movement. Citizens can be from all walks of life and anywhere in the world. Anyone of any race, profession, gender or sexual orientation can be a sovereign citizen, there are no qualifications to be a self-declared sovereign citizen.

Sovereign Citizenship in Prison.

Prison is the absolute place a sovereign citizen can end up; prison is a place where every day and evening are carefully sketched out ahead of time, leaving inmates with no freedom in deciding what they want to do. The prisons are also managed by a section of the United States government, a government that sovereign citizens find to be illegitimate. It is a recipe for problems.

There have been sovereign citizens in correctional facilities before. In fact, many of the sovereign citizens find themselves in the correctional facility due to their citizenship. Prison administration and staff do not stand for sovereign citizens, because whether they like it or not, they will be forced to follow the commands of the prison staff.

Inmates who are attracted to sovereign citizenship quickly dismiss the movement when they become aware of how sovereign citizens are treated by other prisoners. Prisoners are not fond of sovereign citizens due to this likeness to cause problems on the block. No one likes a troublemaker, especially when it can cost someone years of their life. Even by being affiliated with someone who causes issues in prison can cost you time, hence why many prisoners either avoid or harass sovereign citizens.

Why Being a Sovereign Citizen Can Be Dangerous for Felons.

Felons have every right to become a sovereign citizen. This section will cover why being a sovereign citizen can be dangerous for felons.

Felons already have a criminal history; they are already in the system. Felons have less leeway when it comes to sentencing due to this history.

Here is a common way a sovereign citizen can find themselves behind bars.

The sovereign citizen is driving along and makes a right turn without signaling, a police officer sitting in a nearby parking lot decides to issue a ticket for failing to signal and puts their lights on. The sovereign citizen sees the police officer in their rearview mirror and pulls over to the right side of the road. The police officer approaches the car and asks for the sovereign citizens driver’s license, registration and proof of insurance. Being a sovereign citizen, the felon declines to respond and keeps staring forward, when prompted to respond, the sovereign citizen gives little information. The police officer then calls another squad car in the area to help with the situation. The other squad car comes with a K-9 unit and has the dog walk around the felon’s car. The K-9 hits on the car, giving both police officers authority to search the car…

Now this is where the situation can take multiple turns.

The police officers ask the sovereign citizen to step out of the car and the citizen declines, prompting a struggle between the officer and the citizen. Once the sovereign citizen is detained, the officers begin to search the car. In the trunk of the car, the officers find a scale and half of an ounce of weed. The sovereign citizen is now going to jail for possession of a controlled substance. Since the sovereign citizen is a felon, the prison sentence will increase dramatically, landing the felon years in prison on a drug possession with intent to distribute charge.

This entire situation could have been avoided by cooperating with the first officer and accepting a ticket for not using a turn signal.

This is not in any way, shape, or form a representation of sovereign citizens, it is just a common story that has cost many citizens years of their lives. This is a real situation that has happened a number of times, this is a completely factual account of the consequences of failing to cooperate with authorities. This is not biased; this is a description of a past event. Some details have been altered to protect those involved in the story.

FAQ

Do sovereign citizens pay taxes?

Sovereign citizens are not exempt from paying taxes. If a sovereign citizen fails to pay taxes, then that citizen is committing a crime. There are no exemptions for sovereign citizens.

Who qualifies for sovereign immunity?

Select groups may fit the guidelines for sovereign immunity. Many tribal groups are given sovereign immunity.

Is it legal to be a sovereign citizen?

Yes. It is 100% legal to be a sovereign citizen so long as you are not breaking any laws in the country you are in. It is 100% in your right to be a sovereign citizen.

Thank You for reading! What is your opinion about sovereign citizens? Leave us a comment below and let us know!