John
12-17-2010, 07:47 PM
Criminals jailed for four or more years will automatically be excluded when the right to vote is extended to prisoners.
Sentencing judges will also be given the discretion to stop those with a sentence of less than four years from casting a ballot while they are behind bars.
The decision comes after a European court ruling, which the Government is obliged to follow.
David Cameron said he was implementing the judgement reluctantly, and would prefer to keep in place the ban on all prisoners voting - which has existed since 1870.
Today, his spokesman said: "We are responding to court judgments.
"We have to comply with those judgments and we don't want to get into a situation where we are compensating prisoners because we have not complied.
"It is not something the Prime Minister would do if he were given a free choice on this."
Meanwhile, a murderer also lost an appeal over his right to vote.
Peter Chester, 55, was locked up for 33 years for raping and strangling his seven-year-old niece.
He claimed it was a breach of his human rights not to be allowed to vote, but three judges at the Appeal Court said it was for the Government to decide who should be able to vote, not the courts.
Prisoners will be granted the right to vote only in elections to Westminster and the European Parliament when new legislation is tabled in Parliament next year.
Inmates will be registered to vote not at the prison, but at their former address or an area where they have a connection.
This is to prevent large jails becoming crucial battlegrounds for votes in marginal constituencies.
They will vote by post or proxy.
Source - Yahoo News.
Sentencing judges will also be given the discretion to stop those with a sentence of less than four years from casting a ballot while they are behind bars.
The decision comes after a European court ruling, which the Government is obliged to follow.
David Cameron said he was implementing the judgement reluctantly, and would prefer to keep in place the ban on all prisoners voting - which has existed since 1870.
Today, his spokesman said: "We are responding to court judgments.
"We have to comply with those judgments and we don't want to get into a situation where we are compensating prisoners because we have not complied.
"It is not something the Prime Minister would do if he were given a free choice on this."
Meanwhile, a murderer also lost an appeal over his right to vote.
Peter Chester, 55, was locked up for 33 years for raping and strangling his seven-year-old niece.
He claimed it was a breach of his human rights not to be allowed to vote, but three judges at the Appeal Court said it was for the Government to decide who should be able to vote, not the courts.
Prisoners will be granted the right to vote only in elections to Westminster and the European Parliament when new legislation is tabled in Parliament next year.
Inmates will be registered to vote not at the prison, but at their former address or an area where they have a connection.
This is to prevent large jails becoming crucial battlegrounds for votes in marginal constituencies.
They will vote by post or proxy.
Source - Yahoo News.