100 signatures reached
To: Liz Truss, Secretary of State for Justice
Liz Truss - allow people in prison to vote!
Give people in our prisons the right to vote in national elections, in accordance with the European Court of Human Rights ruling.
Why is this important?
I believe that every person, even those who are serving prison sentences, have the right to play their part in deciding the future of the country by voting in national and local elections.
Denying people in prisons the right to vote serves no purpose of deterrence or reform. Britain's blanket ban on prisoners voting dates back to the Forfeiture Act of 1870, and is out of date and out of step with the majority of European countries.
Allowing people in prison to vote would do nothing to undermine public safety, and would do no harm to anyone or anything. I see it as an important part in the process of preparation for eventual release and reintegration into society. It is about dignity, and the principle that in a democracy everybody counts.
Just now our own country is experiencing a rise in homophobic and hate crimes, our prisons are dangerously overcrowded and understaffed, and levels of re offending are alarmingly high. Britain's closest ally is moving into unknown territory as Donald Trump prepares to take the Presidency and bring in his agenda of descrimination and isolationism. The world waits with bated breath. There has never been a time when it has been more important to promote good will, peace and tolerance. Every small act that benefits another person helps to bring our world into balance again, and to restore the security we so need. Some folk say that when someone has turned his back on society by committing a crime worthy of imprisonment, then he should forfeit the right to engage in the voting system of that society. But I argue that the punishment given out by the court is the sentence he/she serves, and society should not extend it by excluding that person further. We have no right to further punish our prison inmates. Rather we should be encouraging engagement with society. And every move to make life better for someone is another small contribution to a better world. We need less vindictiveness and more tolerance in the way we treat our prison population, and I so strongly believe that allowing people in prison to vote is one small step in that direction.
