Should prisoners have the right to vote?
Prison reform groups are saying this year's general election will be illegal unless prisoners are allowed to vote
It's been a subject of debate for five years, since the European Court of Human Rights declared that inmates in the UK should be given the right to vote in elections.
For The One Show, Anita Rani asked, 'Should democracy extend to those behind bars?'
Anita met June Gillbanks. June's daughter was murdered. The killer, June's brother, now campaigns for prisoners' rights from his gaol cell. But June believes prisoners should lose their right to vote. She said "to me, he lost that right when he strangled my daughter."
Anita also spoke to John Hirst, a former prisoner who campaigns for prisoners' rights. He made the case for allowing prisoners to vote, saying: "Does the vote have anything to do with the offence, no it doesn't. Will it make that person a better person and therefore help society? Yes."
Watch the programme here from 2.37 to 8.54.
A mixture of law, politics, autobiography and humour. Once described as "The Devilish Advocate" (Guardian), I do have the ability to provoke a response. Sometimes it comes from someone who uses a thought process, and sometimes from jerks usually associated with the knee.
8 comments:
comment 174 on this link. Very pertinent.
Well put John, also very brave of you to go on the One Show, I would have found it very hard to resist punching Adrian Chiles in the face!
BB: You should have seen me on Alan Titmarsh Show tonight at 5pm on ITV. Better performance. Try watch again.
Weekend I am on Ch4 News. Don't know yet whether Sat or Sun.
By heck John you'll be up for a BAFTA next!
BB: Funny you should say that, I am being interviewed for radio tomorrow to go out in English to countries such as Germany and Norway.
And tonight I watched the DVD of The Fear Factory, which gets its premiere in London on March 1st on the big screen before going on Channel 4. You've guessed it, I'm in it, and going down for the red carpet treatment.
Keep that BAFTA for me I might get it soon.
Thumbs up John!
I'm putting this in my EU post [3 of them] to show that the election this year may be ruled unconstitutional unless prisoners have votes.
James: I think the Council of Europe will rule it invalid if prisoners do not get the vote.
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