Should prisoners be allowed to vote?

[Tinker]

Just heard a bloke on the radio saying that prisoners lose their right to libery not citizenship.

Had never thought about the issue before.

Any views?

[Hulababy]

wobblyknicks - you have a point there - inmates don't pay any form of tax (or revenue to the state) or pay for their own living costs (at the moment - there are thoughts of changing this). So maybe they shouldn't.

I really can't decide on this one at all.

[BubblesDeVere]

Motherinferior not meaning to sound blunt, but, what about the duty to 'Do unto others as you would be done by'.

[lavenderrr]

absolutely no way, they are not prepared to follow the law, they cannot do normal society things!!!no sympathy whatsoever.

[wobblyknicks]

Don't think that's it a duty - think its our freedom to decide how to be governed, rather than have a fascist state.

[OldieMum]

I think prisoners should not be deprived of the right to vote. I don't see why being in prison should automatically deprive you of your political rights. I'd be interested to hear from those who think that prisoners should not be able to vote what rights they think prisoners should have, if any. And why.

[lavenderrr]

disagree wholeheartedly.

[JoolsToo]

I think we should do away with prisons altogether - just say we understand why they did what they did - please don't do it again - now get down the polling station you vote is vital!

[wobblyknicks]

But there are many rights that prisoners are deprived of, most obviously the right to freedom, and thats the way it should be because they knew by committing a crime they were liable to have those rights removed and going against the law of the land should remove your right to help decide that law. Why should criminals be allowed to decide on government when government saw fit to remove them from society and remove their rights to freedom?

[BubblesDeVere]

Joolstoo

[Bozza]

So people on benefits shouldn't be allowed to vote? Of course, paying tax should not be relevant to voting.

[BubblesDeVere]

Here here, wobblynicks, couldn't have said it better myself.

[OldieMum]

Is this meant to be a parody of what I said, JoolsToo? I asked a serious question - do you think prisoners have any rights at all? If not, why not? If they do, why not political rights?

[nutcracker]

I agree with Wobbly

[JoolsToo]

no Oldiemum - not to do with your post but since you ask.

No I don't think prisoners should have any rights - why? they gave them up when they trespassed, stole, mugged, murdered, raped, abused, etcetera, etcetera

[wobblyknicks]

bozza - not just down to tax, everyone in society pays their way somehow - raising the next generation, contributing to the economy etc etc. But prisoners don't contribute anything to society, in fact its the opposite, they've taken something from society - that's why they're there.

[OldieMum]

So, they lose the right not to be tortured, for example?

[wobblyknicks]

IMO the right not to be tortured is a basic human right, and prisoners still keep most of their basic human rights (apart from freedom obv). But the right to vote is not a basic human right, as even children have those, its a right of our society - for being a contributing member (in whatever way), which excludes prisoners.

[JoolsToo]

is torturing on the agenda?

(I'll warrant there are a few paedophiles I'd use my turkey twizzlers on though)

[OldieMum]

Surely the right to vote is a basic human right. Try telling black South Africans that it isn't.

[Hulababy]

If prisoners are ever to be rehabilitated and released to live a crime free life then they must be allowed some rights whilst still in priosn. If all rights were withdrawn they would not be able to address their offending behaviour, achieve basic levels of numeracy/literacy in order to function in the outside world, access drugs/alcohol/volence treatment programmes, etc.

Now I am in no way naive enough to think that all inmates rehabilitate and never commit a crime again (infact statistics tell us many do). However, there are some (and numbers are pretty high) that DO lead crime free lives after, once they have gone through a prison regime and addressed their behaviour.

[JoolsToo]

FGS - don't VICTIMS have basic human rights - oh I know - lets forget them!

[Heathcliffscathy]

how does the giving prisoners the right to vote harm victims jools? what on earth are you on about?

[wobblyknicks]

I don't think the right to vote is a basic human right. Not to live under oppression is however, IMO, and the easiest way to avoid that in most communities is by voting. Prisoners are not oppressed, and IMO they have no need or right to vote. Although they will hopefully be rehabilitated into society, they should only have a say about society once they are back in it.

[Hulababy]

Of course victims have basic human rights; no one is saying they don't.

However if we want a chance of avoiding higher rates of victims we have to give inmates access to offending behaviour treatment/programmes - so that they learn that their behaviour is wrong and what they can do about it. Don't forget that an awful lot of prisoners have not been taught basic right and wrong in many cases - they do need to be taught it.

I am not for prison being an easy life - quite the opposite. I would like to see it being stricter than it currently is. However I do think that the key aim of prison should be to try for rehabilitation of those inmates who will eventually be released into society. We owe it to victims (and families of victims) of crime to do this.

[JoolsToo]

what I'm on about sophable is that some victims can now not only not vote but breath either!