Should Prisoners Get The Vote?
After hearing from a European legal commentator who said it would cost millions if they didn’t, prisoners certainly should get the vote. It would be the cheapest option. What constituency they would vote in is another matter.
I would prefer that they all voted in one special constituency. This might mean they got some complete lunatic elected, who would give us all a good laugh.
On the other hand, how many of the 80,000 prisoners would actually bother to vote? Probably more than we think, as it might mean they got extra time out of their cells.
The Anonymous Widower 
Hi, I have just stumbled across your web site while surfing, while I saw your comment on the vote for prisoners?, I was for 28 years a prison officer working in a number of various types of prisons around the country, when the idea of giving prisoners the vote horrifies me (and other staff) we had to go around to all prisoners at the time with the appropriate voting forms, it was not long after that we saw just how much they care about the system, the whole of each prison landing was like a snow storm had descended, most (if not all) had ripped up their voting forms into confetti and had thrown them out onto the landings and the wings, if you had put the MP’s names and addresses on the forms I suspect that the MP’s would soon get burgled next time the offender gets early release on licence, .. so give the prisoners the vote ?, I don’t think so!. By the way thank you for a very informative insight into your life, and I am very sorry for your losses, keep up the good work.
Comment by Alec Reid | December 12, 2013 |
At last some sense on the subject. My late wife, used to help run a half-way house for prisoners, who had left Holloway. That experience probably left us both with the opinion, that every prisoner is very different and finding a one size fits all solution to their problems is impossible. Some years ago, I applied for membership of an IMB at a prison. The detailed visit I had was an eye-opener,
We would be better spending the money organising the vote on something else. It would give a better return for all concerned.
Comment by AnonW | December 13, 2013 |