A Ballot Behind Bars

Steve Tierney on February 8, 2010 — 8 Comments

A Ballot Behind Bars

Apparently we’re breaking the law. Not just me, or you, or Fred Whatsisname down the road – but the whole country! The European Court of Human Rights says so, so it must be true! Bound, as we are, to whatever new trend or fad some faceless officials believe is an ‘inalienable human right’ there are a whole range of issues which we just can’t be trusted to decide for ourselves 0r our own country.

The ruling has been made as a response to our country’s refusal to allow convicted prisoners to vote in elections. Apparently, it is their ‘human right’ to cast a vote, regardless of whether they’ve killed somebody, raped somebody, stolen somebody’s life savings or smashed somebody down while drunk behind the wheel of their car.

Maybe I’m being unfair. Jack Straw’s proposal to try and meet the ECHR halfway appears to be to allow people who have been sentenced for less than four years the right to vote – not all prisoners. So, given some of the sentencing we’ve seen in recent years that’ll mean that they can vote regardless of whether they’ve killed somebody, raped somebody, stolen somebody’s life savings or smashed somebody down while drunk behind the wheel of their car.

Look – I’m not opposed to the idea of Human Rights. There are some things which, as civilised human beings, we must be able to agree every individual has a right to. Freedom of expression. Protection from violence and crime. A fair trial. But we must surely accept that those rights go hand-in-hand with responsibilities. If you punch somebody in the face then you have failed in your responsibility to keep the peace and should not be surprised to be punched right back. If you steal from somebody then your freedom of expression will be reduced due to spending some time behind bars to pay for your crime.

When you are found guilty of a crime you must then realise that part of your punishment will be the removal of some of your rights. Not all of them, of course. Even locked up, we can’t allow people to be the victim of violence. Or we shouldn’t, anyway. But your right to participate in civic activities must certainly be curtailed because, by failing in your responsibility to the community, you have lost your right to participate.

Prisoners should no more be allowed to vote than they should be allowed out for a day to go on a peace march, or a political rally, or to a pop concert, or to their friend’s birthday party. They have surrendered the right to do so by virtue of the crime which has caused them to be incarcerated.

Perhaps Labour see this as an opportunity to pick up 28,000 or so ‘prisoner’ votes. I wouldn’t bet on it. These guys and girls may have committed a crime, but that certainly doesn’t mean they are stupid. I doubt many would vote Labour even if the opportunity arose. Which I very much hope it does not.