Should Prisoners Be Allowed To Vote?

[Deskdiary]

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/oct/29/government-planning-to-allow-some-prisoners-to-vote-european-court-human-rights

If the voting rights remain limited to prisoners with less than a year to serve, then I have no real issue with it (although I do wonder why they can't wait a year), but if the year starts to creep to be two years, and then five and so on, I would object.

There's no suggestion the time period will be amended to include longer term prisoners, but purely for the sake of the argument if it was, I would struggle with the idea of allowing people who have chosen to live outside of society's rules have a say in electing people whose job it is to make those rules.

[naomi24]

Eddie, I don't think you realise that at 14:23 Mon Mikey disagreed with you. He seems to have forgotten too....

[Baldric]

///But many "crims" are illiterate, allthough that doesn't automatically make them natural Labour voters///

No, but they would be ideally qualified.

[EDDIE51]

Jahulaye, Many of the prisoners I talked to were murderers but none were child abusers or accused of sex crimes. it was an open prison.
They were 'one off' offences, over reaction due to a sudden threat or a build up of stress. Every one of them told me that the death sentence would have made no difference as the thought of getting caught never entered their heads.

[EDDIE51]

naomi, I am fully aware that mikey disagreed with me, that does not affect my views or his.

[naomi24]

You are now, Eddie. ;o)

[cassa333]

It shouldn't matter what the crime is or what the sentence is. they decided, either spur of the moment or premeditated, to do something that warranted a custodial sentence. In doing so they have forfeited the right to some of the privileges of freedom. One of those freedoms is a right to vote.

Many people have a hard luck story but none of them are a reason for doing what they did to get in there. So crying like a baby because they have to get someone else to read them a letter is no ones fault but their own.

[david small]

Last one out of this asylum turn off the light. It really doesn’t matter as there only about 90,000 of them.
Those that can read a lesser figure. But, my answer would be No.

[Caran]

Definitely not.