What are your thoughts on this story, do you believe that while you are in jail you should loose all such privileges or perhaps it is right that a prisoner should be able to effect how he is treated by voting for a party which best represents him/her?
This move does not bother me much either way but did raise quite an interesting debate on radio 2 yesterday.
Ex-prisoner John Hirst's crusade to voting 'victory'
He has spent most of his life behind bars but John Hirst has vehemently campaigned for the government to change the legal system allowing prisoners to vote
If you loose your liberty, you should loose your right to vote.
Imagine the cost of providing prisoners with voting papers across the country and the likely opportunity for corruption? It was bad enough in the last but one election where a Labour MP in the Midlands was accused of vote rigging pensioners' postal votes!
The ConDem Alliance should tell the European Commission to stick its Human Rights issues where the sun don't shine and then do as the French and other Member States do; refuse to pay the fine imposed.
The Commission really has lost the plot; demanding over 6% increase in their budget when most States are under severe austerity measures. Hardly surprising when it emerges that Baroness Ashton's new diplomatic corps will spend on bullet-proof limousines for some of its 7,000 officials who will enjoy postings in Barbados and even the tiny Pacific island of Vanuatu.
The Commission really has to have a long cold hard think about it's future if the Union is to survive.
Someone made the interesting point that 2 people could commit the same crime. Within the sentencing guidlines one (from one judge) might get a 3 month prison sentence and the other (under another judge) might get 200 hours community service. While there are factors that influence the sentence, the fact is the same crime was committed. Why should one be able to vote and the other not - just cos the election happens to fall in the 6 weeks the first person actually spends in jail.
I think losing the right to vote is irrelevant to the vast majority of prisoners - it certainly isn't a deterrent from crime. Why would it be - most people don't vote even if they can.
I would far rather the prisoners got some education about what it means to be a citizen, their responibilities as well as their rights (rights like voting - not 'rights' like being able to take from the weak). If their sentence includes an election day - let them vote.
It's not like there is a party full of criminals they would vote for - - - oh, hang on, damn. Well, luckily they are all as bad as each other (politicians that is) so no real harm would be done.
i dont think people in prison should be able to vote
i feel very strongly about this, they not have the right to vote if they have done something so bad that it means they are in prison
Seeing as the Saudi's chop peoples hands off for stealing, if we chopped both the criminals hands off, then he/she wouldn't be able to cast their vote.
Job done.
but...GnV there is talk about how actually orchestrated this is !!!
There have been rumours and intelligence of unrest and planning of a riot at this jail for weeks it seems. However the jail and its staff done nowt about it. This at the time when cuts are hanging over the prison service same as all other authority jobs. How much you want to bet, the staff now say...look we can't cope, with what we got, can't cut it any more !!
Normally in these situations, quite often staff are taken as hostage. None it seems this time !! Wonders how actually much was known and a blind eye turned !!!
I base it on the BBC radio news report actually Mr Powers...where they stated an internal investigation into why documented intelligence of unrest was not looked into or acted upon !!! Hardly what I would call speculation !!!
Prisoners allowed to vote?
Next it will be conjecal visits!
Yet another law thrust upon us by the EU.
Not that I care overmuch any which way, you understand? ;)