UK NEWS

EUROPE SAYS: GIVE VOTE TO CONVICTS

Europe: Convicts given right to vote

Thursday April 9,2009

By Gabriel Milland Political Correspondent

Comment Speech Bubble Have your say(25)

THOUSANDS of rapists, killers and paedophiles will get the right to vote after ministers caved in to pressure from Europe, it emerged last night.

Justice Minister Michael Wills said the Government would change the law to allow most prisoners to have their say at elections.

The plans could see as many as 28,800 criminals serving less than four years being treated the same as law-abiding members of the public. Offenders getting the vote could include those guilty of manslaughter and terrorist offences. There was an angry reaction to the news last night. Shadow Justice Secretary Dominic Grieve said: “Many people will question whether this is a sensible development.

“The principle that those who are in custody after conviction should not have the opportunity to vote is a perfectly rational one. Civic rights go with civic responsibility. The Government must allow a parliamentary debate which gives MPs the opportunity to insist on retaining our existing practice that convicted prisoners can’t vote.”

A consultation document slipped out by the Ministry of Justice last night leaves open the possibility that prisoners could choose to register their prison address, changing the political balance in dozens of council and parliamentary seats.

Geoffrey Cox, Tory MP for Torridge and West Devon, which includes Dartmoor Prison, said: “It conjures up the prospect of me canvassing down the corridors and knocking on cell doors.

“I think all law-abiding members of the public will be outraged.”

Mr Cox, who is also a QC specialising in criminal law, added: “I’m extremely disappointed that the Government has decided to kow-tow to Europe on this.”

The document backs prisoners casting their ballot by post or proxy. But behind-bars polling stations are not ruled out. Glyn Travis, of the Prison Officers’ Association, branded the proposals a nightmare.

“It will create massive amounts of paperwork and be a huge security risk,” he said. But Geoff Dobson, deputy director of the Prison Reform Trust, called for all prisoners to be given the vote.

“Voting in a democracy is a basic human right for all citizens, not just those thought to be deserving.” The European Court of Human Rights ruled in 2004 that the ban on prisoners voting, which dates back more than 140 years, was unlawful. Its intervention came after a case brought by John Hirst, who served 25 years for killing his landlady.

Ministers launched a consultation process but reform groups complained to the Council of Europe about delaying tactics.

Yesterday’s consultation paper sets out a range of options, including enfranchisement for prisoners serving less than a year, less than two years or less than four years.

Prisoners serving more than four years will not be considered.

Mr Wills said the Government was inclined towards the lower end of the spectrum. The European Court ruling had made it “legally unavoidable” that voting be extended to some prisoners. But he insisted: “We will ensure that the most serious and dangerous offenders held in custody will not be able to vote.”

EUROPE GO TO HELL

10.04.09, 2:23pm

the whole idea of sending people to prison is to take away there rights ,the people of this country have had enough of beurocratic pen pushers from europe telling us how to run our country,we have given far to many human rights to crimminals, murderers ,etc .that is why this country is in such a mess ,regarding crime ,it costs us billions and billions to keep people in prison who can never be released ,where a bullit is relativly cheap.FACE FACTS POLITICIANS ,EUROPEAN LEADERS ,YOUR IDEAS AND BULL DOES NOT WORK.

• Posted by: crazyhorse • Report Comment

UNIMPORTANT

09.04.09, 8:50pm

It's unimportant.
On the one hand it's nice for those locked up, some of whom are on remand, meaning they are innocent until proved guilty.

On the other, if you are locked up then you have your freedoms taken away. Voting being one of them. Mind you it's not a lot different on the outside.

Maybe that's the point. It's a small part of the plan to make being locked up and being free, the same thing.

• Posted by: Wayland • Report Comment

EUROPE SAYS: GIVE VOTE TO CONVICTS

09.04.09, 8:16pm

When John Hurst's landlady has the vote, then perhaps her killer can have one. Didn't she have the right to life according to the Convention on Human Rights? Make her killer give his victim HER life back so that sHE can go and vote if she wants to.

Postal voting was an excuse for vote rigging out-side prison, what would it be like inside?
The Court should be challenged don't you think?

Why are the people being "CONSULTED" on this matter when they were ignored over the most important matter that will affect all of their lives? Why should the people obey a Court that gives "rights" to common Criminals, murderers in fact, yet deny or stand back and do nothing when decent people are having their rights removed from them?

Do law abiding people have to go and commit a crime so that THEY too can have the right to their own Government deciding what the people of their own Country really want, and not have a government that has to obey decisions just like the rest of us?

If this country remains IN the European Union much longer, and Lisbon becomes active, just how much longer can our Honourable and Right Honourable MP's keep up the pretense of governing this Country?

• Posted by: anyoldiron • Report Comment

IN OUR TIME OF NEED

09.04.09, 8:07pm

It is comforting to know that the European Court is thinking about the rights of our poor downtrodden criminals.

I think the European Court should restore the right to vote of John Hirst's landlady - Only trouble is that she is dead, murdered by John Hirst.

iT IS LITTLE WONDER THAT MOST PEOPLE HAVE NO TIME FOR THE EUROPEAN COURT OF CRIMINAL RIGHTS.

• Posted by: G0LDENARR0W • Report Comment

EUROPE SAYS: GIVE VOTE TO CONVICTS

09.04.09, 8:00pm

When has the Labour Government not bowed to Europe on anything, least of all, the right to vote for convicts ?

• Posted by: jamesH • Report Comment

THE FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS.......

09.04.09, 7:47pm

Interesting point here...to vote you must be registered, so a prisoner would be registered at his prison of residence. Along comes an election but he has been moved, is not registered at his new prison so cannot vote.
How long before a convict with the help of legal aid claims his human rights have been breached by denying him a vote and he gets thousands of pounds in compensation?
This is not a fairy tale! It will happen. Remember you read it here.

• Posted by: Michael • Report Comment