Should Prisoners Be allowed To Vote - Essay Example

Mark Harper, the Minister for Constitutional and Political Reform in 2010 stated that offenders who are sentenced less than four years will possess right to vote in United Kingdom. These prisoners can take active participation in European Parliament Elections. However if the judge considers this kind of participation to be inappropriate then it can be eradicated while making the sentence. In overall context though there has been new laws implemented regarding voting rights of prisoners but it still needs to be incorporated throughout the system (Rozenberg, 2011).

There are judicial officials who state that such form of rights initiate leniency in custodial sentence of a prisoner. On the contrary, the term democracy indicates that every individual shall be given their fundamental rights. Right to vote is one of the basic human rights which cannot be differentiated in context of an individual or a prisoner. From 1870, law was formed that restricted a prisoner from participating in European Parliament Elections. Successive governments in United Kingdom has sustained the particular position in relation to an individual breaking societal contract followed by imprisonment, will not be considered eligible for voting in any elections.

This is a logical perspective as giving equal rights to prisoners will create more chaos in a region. However living in a democracy means every individual possess basic right, irrespective of their colour, creed, race, ethnicity, etc. The justifications given by politicians or judicial authority can be contradicted by stating that an individual involved in electoral fraud can be given a sentence by court (Easton, 2009). This sentence can indicate removal of voting rights for a fixed time period.

Politicians being indulged in the procedure results into irrational moves. They are not focused on crime committed by prisoners while eradicating their right to vote but politicians are more inclined towards