Prisoners lose right to vote.

I see common sense has finally reared it's head and prisoners have lost the right to vote, which had been awarded to them by Europe. Further to that, prisoners who wished to challenge the ruling have lost the right to legal aid to challenge the new law.

Check out the full story here

Let's hope this is the start of a new era, when we once again can decide what happens in this country and not some unelected, unaccountable jobsworth in Europe.

Re: Prisoners lose right to vote.

Good for Mr Justice Langstaff. Mind you, this may well not be the end of it all as far as votes for prisoners is concerned.

Re: Prisoners lose right to vote.

Thanks for posting that link. I must say I'm surprised there is at least one judge with the guts to say what 99.9% of the British people want.

Two things come to mind:-
1) Although pretty much everyone inUK didn't want prisnors to have the vote only about half the 630 odd MPs turned up to vote on it.
2) In many East European countries prisoners do not have the vote, even when they are members of the EU like Hungary, Poland, and Czechland. Don't ask me how, but the governments in those countries have ways of telling Strasburg one thing while doing exactly the opposite.

Re: Prisoners lose right to vote.

A victory for common sense, and for sovereignty.

Re: Prisoners lose right to vote.

In the United States prisoners become a pain in the ass because of their use of the internet while in prison. They think of scams to swindle folks everywhere out of their hard earned money. They hack into personal computers to steal identities and empty bank accounts. They do all this plus file countless appeals that clog our justice system all from behind bars at taxpayer's expense. What's wrong with this picture?

Re: Prisoners lose right to vote.

Don't get me started on this Bob, it's not right but the people in the Law industry seem to have a 'Holier than you' attitude, they say things like "We are the high and mighty in the legal system, we only concern ourselves with the wording of the law" they obsess with the position of a comma, and the meaning of every word on the staute book.

Also, what annoys me is that if you talk to many prisoners they will happily admit they are guilty, they did the crime, and they are happy that the law alloys them to continue their criminal activities from behind bars.

If it was down to me there would be no TV, no internet access, and a whole lot less 'molly codling' (Not sure if that expression is used in America, means going soft)

Re: Prisoners lose right to vote.

Too right Losos, I'm with you all the way on this, prisoners should have no rights whatever when inside. They decide to do the crime, they should be prepared to take the punishment. I'm sure if it was awful in prison there would be much less re-offending. Isn't prison supposed to be a deterrent? Many prisoners have a better life inside than many decent, hard working people can afford. It needs to change.

Re: Prisoners lose right to vote.

In the case of the U.S.A. what is worse, living in poverty in a high crime area, possibly on the street, or living in a correctional institution with three square meals a day, medical, clothing, church visits, library and a nice warm or air-conditioned cell? Where's the deterent?

Re: Prisoners lose right to vote.

Well one change that I put forward on Dogsey a while ago was that we build some prisons on all those unihabited little islands of the coast of Scotland, OK it would cost a lot to build them but it would be a 'one off' cost, once built it would be the perfect place to send some of the really serious criminals. No TV, mobile phones, central heating up there.

Do you know some of the replies I got, one pointed out that an English prisoner can not be sent to a jail in Scotland, in fact every prisoner has to be jailed within a certain distance of his 'home' so building jails on Scottish islands would make it hard for relatives to visit

Is it true that the American prison system has closed down Alkatraz ? That place was what got me looking at the map of the Scottish coast, and you know what Bob there are hundreds of little islands between 20 and 50 miles offshore which are deserted (apart from a few birds) I think the really serious offenders should be locked up there

Re: Prisoners lose right to vote.

I don't think we should get carried away here. It is certainly sensible that prisoners don't get to vote, and luxuries in jail are just not on. But most prisoners (not all) are still human beings and will get released back into society when they've done their time. A bit of rehabilitation and a few family visits seem to me to be the right thing. In any case, there's the prison staff to think about. They need to live somewhere decent.