Prisoners Voting Rights

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The European court, in August 2014, stated that the legislation on prisoners voting in the UK was unlawful and have notified that this law has to change. The European Convention on Human Rights in Article 3, Protocol 1, provides three additional rights: the right to education, the right to property, and the right to freely and fairly elect the legislature: “The High Contracting Parties undertake to hold free elections at reasonable intervals by secret ballot, under conditions which will ensure the free expression of the opinion of the people in the choice of the legislature” (Publications.parliament.uk, 2014). This statement represents the whole community when ensuring a right to vote, but it can be argued if prisoners, those who have acted …show more content…

The 1983 act states that prisoners who have been convicted are unable to vote at parliamentary or local elections while they are imprisoned. This is called disenfranchisement which is explained as the exclusion of entitled people’s right to vote, because of a criminal offence. Having caused damage to their surroundings, to the citizens and the society, it can be said that it would be just for them not having the eligibility to some of their humanistic rights. Prisoners are neglected from moral obligations, being able to participate and vote in a legislative election, due to their wrongful acts against the law. The law states that those who are on remand still attain the right to vote until it has been decided that they are released from remand, they will then continue to keep the rights that they are entitled to, or until they are sentenced to a custodial sentence, at which point they will lose the right to vote. According to a justice ministry spokesman (The Guardian, 2010) the issue of voting rights being given to convicted criminals is still a controversial topic amongst government authorities, however, it is being considered seriously and under careful supervision. The governments view on the voting rights being related to criminal offences against the democratic …show more content…

The European court system and the British government have both argued the British parliaments legislation ruling against all convicted criminals voting rights. “By committing offences which by themselves or taken with any aggravating circumstances including the offender's character and previous criminal record require a custodial sentence, such prisoners have forfeited the right to have a say in the way the country is governed for that period” (Publications.parliament.uk, 2014), this statement by Lord Justice Kennedy cannot be opposed, since being sentenced to prison means that the prisoners have lost their right of liberty and many other rights. The loss of convicted criminal liberty is an argument used to suppress those who argue against the British parliaments legislation. However, the appeal should not be in favour of all of the criminals but for those sentenced with minor offences and should vary depending on the length of the sentenced being

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