Author Archives: Tom Nicholson

Tom Nicholson

Opinion: Prisoner voting rights

By Tom Nicholson | Tue 11th June 2013 - 8:55 am

Prison fenceThis week, the Supreme Court is considering the legality of the Government’s ban on prisoner voting. A majority of MPs are set against even limited suffrage for prisoners. The idea makes David Cameron “physically sick” and Jack Straw believes “those who break the law cannot make the law.”

Many supporters advance the same perfectly sound arguments, particularly from a human rights perspective. But a strong, pragmatic case for full prison enfranchisement can also be made by assessing this most populist of policies against the aims of sentencing in the criminal …

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Posted in Op-eds | Tagged | 9 Comments
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Recent Comments

  • Daniel Walker
    @Tom Bailey "How many voters of Holborn and St Pancras, Lisbon, or Seville voted for Ursula von der Leyen? Answer : None, because 250 million Europeans, neve...
  • David Raw
    @ Tom Bailey Given that Ms Ursula von der Leyen is a Lutheran not a Catholic you seem to have a vivid imagination....
  • Jenny Barnes
    Matt " I believe the only way forward on this as it is on on social issues, is rational, persuasive, constant debate and dialogue – of course, based on respec...
  • Tom Bailey
    Daniel Walker, I'm fully aware of how the EU elective system works, and the point is that European voters are not allowed any direct access to that process. [ p...
  • Gill Travers
    Charlotte Cane “Will the Minister consider changing the law so that the Equality Act lives up to its name?” is a valid contribution. Things have moved on si...