The Prison Reform Trust asks us the question: "Why wouldn't anybody want people in prison to take responsibility and exercise their civic rights by voting?".
This week, murderers trying to gain their right to vote have failed drastically. After a 4 year battle, the European Court of Human Rights has created a 'blanket ban' on voting being illegal over all prisoners. Although, they have also left it up to individual nations to decide which inmates are allowed to vote.
It is now placed upon the UK, our nation, to decide whether to allow some of the UK's prisoners the right to vote. The UK's political view seems to be very in favour of the final decision by the European Court of Human Rights. The Prime Minister, David Cameron commented that "The Supreme Court has stood up for common sense... we can all rejoice at that result".
The battle between whether prisoners should vote or not has been a difficult one. In some ways it could help prisoners focus on the outside world and help get their lives back on track. In another sense, it is obscene that we could allow people who have committed such terrible crimes to take part in society, when they have already been purposefully removed from it.
References:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/a-great-victory-for-common-sense-david-cameron-hails-supreme-court-judgment-as-murderers-lose-fight-for-prisoners-voting-rights-8883382.html
CATEGORY: POLITICS and SOCIETY
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