Prisoners to get the vote

[Section_31]

BBC News - Prisoners serving less than four years to get vote

 

The government has announced that prisoners serving less than four years will be eligible to vote.

 

But the Cabinet Office statement said all offenders sentenced to four years or more would automatically be barred from registering to vote.

 

The decision comes after a European court ruling which the government is obliged to implement.

 

Meanwhile a man serving life for raping and murdering a seven-year-old niece lost an appeal over his right to vote.

 

Under the changes, the sentencing judge will be able to remove the right to vote from some prisoners sentenced to less than four years.

 

Mark Harper, Minister for political and constitutional reform, said proposal was "not a choice, it is a legal obligation".

 

"We are ensuring the most serious offenders will continue to be barred from voting.

 

"If the government failed to implement this judgement, we would not only be in breach of our international obligations but could be risking taxpayers' money in paying out compensation claims," he said.

 

Five years ago, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled the UK's long-standing voting ban was unlawful.

 

Anyone fancy starting a new party? Sky TV in cells and phones up the arse for all.

[Strontium]

Long overdue.

[Section_31]

Long overdue.

 

Hmm, I personally don't think shitbags should have any say in issues which affect my life, not until they've paid their dues and earned that right again.

[JohnnyH]

You end up in jail, you lose your common rights. No vote for jailbirds. You act like a dog you get treated as such.

[Strontium]

Hmm, I personally don't think shitbags should have any say in issues which affect my life, not until they've paid their dues and earned that right again.

 

 

Well tough, the European Court of Human Rights says they should, and I am inclined to agree. Prisoners are people too. Anyone who is remotely interested in rehabilitation of offenders ought to support measures like this that allow transgressors to continue to play a role in civic society. The last thing prisoners need is to be dehumanised further than they already are.

 

You are definitely in the majority on this though, LabCon oppose votes for prisoners and fought this ECHR ruling tooth and nail.

[melons]

Just out of curiosity, how will this work in local elections?

 

Will they be voting for what would be their home MP or the one local to the prison?

[Guest davelfc]

Prisons, what a joke, you should be punished and earn the right to get rehabilitation. If you get 3 years that's what you serve, good behaviour means you don't serve any longer.

 

Split the sentence in two, half punishment and half rehabilitation. I don't agree you should have the vote, you gave up a lot of your rights when you fucked up and got caught.

 

We need improved prisons, more of them and better trained staff. But my mate is a prison officer and they're just cutting and cutting. If I heard him right last week he said a new officer earns less now than what he earned as a new officer 18 years ago.

[Tyler Durden]

Why exactly should someone in jail be given the chance to influence the government without having any real idea of how they are running the country?

 

Maybe we should start letting people from outer Mongolia have the vote here, you know, just incase they ever decide to come here and join our society

[Guest ShoePiss]

Well tough, the European Court of Human Rights says they should, and I am inclined to agree. Prisoners are people too. Anyone who is remotely interested in rehabilitation of offenders ought to support measures like this that allow transgressors to continue to play a role in civic society. The last thing prisoners need is to be dehumanised further than they already are.

 

You are definitely in the majority on this though, LabCon oppose votes for prisoners and fought this ECHR ruling tooth and nail.

 

I don't understand why they should have a role to play in civic society when their punishment (that they were well aware of in most cases) is to be taken out of it.

[Guest Numero Veinticinco]

Long overdue.

 

Yep, I agree.

[King Emlyn]

Hmm, I personally don't think shitbags should have any say in issues which affect my life, not until they've paid their dues and earned that right again.

You get sent to jail you you can't vote; not hard really is it? Well, not in any sane society anyway, although Christ knows that's long ceased to be the case.

[L19red]

Is the main reason the MP's are objecting because its Europe telling them what to do or do they really feel passionately about prisoner rights?

 

FWIW I'm very slightly inclined to agree prisoners should have the vote, but I'm not really arsed either way.

[Guest Numero Veinticinco]

Is the main reason the MP's are objecting because its Europe telling them what to do or do they really feel passionately about prisoner rights?

 

FWIW I'm very slightly inclined to agree prisoners should have the vote, but I'm not really arsed either way.

 

I feel more passionately about 16 year olds getting the right to vote. Even if it's only the ones who are working. To contribute money to society but not be able to vote is fucking ridiculous.

[JohnnyH]

Criminals voting for criminals.

[Cardie]

 

I feel more passionately about 16 year olds getting the right to vote. Even if it's only the ones who are working. To contribute money to society but not be able to vote is fucking ridiculous.

 

Problem being 16 year olds are more likely to vote against the con-dems after the university lies and deceit. Chuck their fellow criminals the chance to vote With a few sweetners to secure they vote in the right direction and they've managed to clawback some of the votes they've lost by being self protecting, stealling, conning corrupt politicians.

[Rico1304]

For me they opted out of society when they committed a crime, hence my view they shouldn't be allowed to vote. As my gran would say "if you don't play nice, you don't play at all". Surely things like the right to vote should be an incentive to go straight.

[Guest Pistonbroke]

I bet it's so the tory gay bastards can get some canvassing done in the showers.

[Section_31]

It's not just the idea that they should forfeit this right when they go to prison which is the issue for me, it's the fact they're a group of people who've got no vested interest in selecting a Government anyway, unless that Government has got particular prison policies which they're likely to vote for (a worrying prospect to be sure). Let's say you're in prison for the next three and a half years, why would you use that vote with any real conviction? You're more than likely just going to take the piss with it. Lunacy.

 

How will it work with council elections? Will they vote for their home council or the authority where their prison is based? Could we then see a prison full of convicted criminals having a disproportionately large say in who gets voted onto that council?

[Pidge]

Considering voting seems to be a totally meaningless exercise these days who gives a fuck.

[Guest Pistonbroke]

It's just wrong on so many accounts as Section has explained. How can someone doing bird vote with any conviction. Just another daft idea rolled out by the European/UK human rights job worthies to add to a list that grows longer by the day.

[Section_31]

Nigel is not amused.

 

 

[Stu Monty]

We should get the Republicans involved in the implementation of this; they've got previous of being really efficient when it comes to managing databases of former felons.

 

And by "managing" I mean fraudulently fiddling them to steal elections.

[Strontium]

We should get the Republicans involved in the implementation of this; they've got previous of being really efficient when it comes to managing databases of former felons.

 

And by "managing" I mean fraudulently fiddling them to steal elections.

 

 

Some states in the US ban felons from voting even after they've been released. Crazy shit. They might as well reintroduce branding.

 

These laws banning prisoners or felons from voting are racist laws because ethnic minorities are over-represented in the prison system. They're a great way of preventing black people from having their say.

[Newport]

Convicted criminals should be suspended from voting the same amount of time they served after they are released. If they have killed someone they shouldn't have the right to vote ever again.

[Strontium]

Anonymous tag calling me a shitbag. That's the ultimate in irony, folks.

 

Cos there's no bag so shitty as the bag that hides behind anonymity to slag other people off. Pathetic.