Inmates May Vote in Hammersmith Election Race

Inmates May Vote in Hammersmith Election Race

Mar 22 2010 By Aidan Jones

Inmates at Wormwood Scrubs may have a say in race for the Hammersmith marginal in the general election, after a European ruling ordered the government to lift a ban on prisoners voting.

The Council of Europe has warned the British government to overturn the ban or open itself up to compensation claims from prisoners denied the vote, in breach of their human rights.

Wormwood Scrubs holds 1277 prisoners and if the Ministry of Justice relents to giving them the vote, they could affect the increasingly tight race for Hammersmith.

Both Andrew Slaughter, Labour MP, and Tory parliamentary hopeful Shaun Bailey are aware of the potential of votes coming from inside the jail, but neither will be canvassing at Wormwood Scrubs.

It is a tricky political issue for the Government, which has launched a consultation on the issue, aware that it has to balance the European legal ruling with the widespread unpopularity of prisoners voting.

It suggests a range of options from allowing prisoners sentenced to four years and below to be given voting rights, but not those serving longer sentences,

Inmates would be given a postal vote linked the last constituency they lived in. Wormwood Scrubs holds hundreds of local prisoners on remand or for short sentences.

Playing down the prospect of hundreds of prisoners taking up the chance to vote, Mr Slaughter said he opposes the idea of giving people who have committed series offences voting rights.

"Part of their punishment is having some of your civil rights withdrawn," he added. "But people who have short-sentences there may be room for them to have the vote as part of their rehabilitation back into society."

Shaun Bailey, said he was against any prisoners, no matter the length of their sentence voting and hit out at Labour for opening a consultation on the issue."Part of prisoners paying their debt to society should include them temporarily forfeiting rights that the rest of us enjoy. Rehabilitation of prisoners is what's needed not exercises for prisoners to vote."