The Right to Vote for Prisoners in the UK - Essay Example

Should prisoners be given the right to vote in UK? Introduction The issue of the rights that prisoners should or should not have has been a hot topic among convict related legislation. Society has a tendency of treating prisoners like they are part of a different community and thus do not see the issue of equality as a factor in such decisions among other elements. This is not to say that the rest of society look down on convicts (though is the case in some individual circumstances) but view them as a separate entity from themselves and the rest of the community and as a result subconsciously alienate this group of people from others (Fishkin, 2011). Having the status prisoner on an individual’s bio does not help their chances of integrating into the community and tends to lock them out of most of the privileges that are enjoyed by the rest of the society. At the moment this also includes voting opportunities that are available to others as that privilege is revoked by the government (Lynch, 2007). However, the question remains of whether this is an ethically acceptable arrangement or is change needed in this department in the long run to improve the democratic movement that is supported by a large majority of people. In order to study this question and come up with an acceptable response it is important for one to look at all the perspectives that views that are involved when it comes to the issue of allowing prisoners to vote. Other aspects of the subject that should be studied include the various parties that are involved in the making of this decision as well as those that are affected by it. These include the legislators and (depending on various factors, such as whether a referendum is held on the matter) at times the public opinion on the side of those involved in forming of the concerned laws and the prisoners as well as society on the side of those who will be affected by the decision made (Harel, 2008). This is essential as making a right decision depends on knowing all the factors involved as well as the potential impact that certain decisions will have in the long run. It should be noted that the voting process is part of the democratic setup that was developed to ensure the presence of fairness and equality to all citizens (Ross, 2011). Parties Involved In Prisoners’ Voting Rights As afore mentioned, taking a closer look at the main groups that are involved and affected by the final decision on whether prisoners should be allowed to vote will allow one to come up with a more overall view of the situation and various circumstances involved. They include: a. Legislators These are the main group of people that are involved in what can be termed as the final decision making process and thus must be taken into account (Fishkin, 2011). The legislators can be said to play the part of the representative of the society’s opinion and in most case advocate for changes that are reflected by the public’s needs and wants. These legislators thus are responsible for arguing against or for the promotion of prison votes in the UK. The number of legislators that back what could be a controversial change could directly affect the chances of success that such a bill would have of being put into action. b. The Public The public has to be considered when looking at groups that will be affected by a legislative change. This is especially true when the law in question has to do with a public activity such as voting. One of the key reasons to take the public into consideration is due to the influence that a public opinion could have against a law that is to be brought into effect (Lynch, 2007). As mentioned in the first point, legislators tend to be a symbol of the views of the people and thus if it is the public opinion that a certain change should be backed, then it is probable that most of the legislators involved will back the legislation in question. Studying the public’s opinion is also important in determining the final question in whether prisoners should be allowed to vote as their opinion has to be considered according to the democratic principles that govern most politically advanced countries (Ross, 2011). Going against the majority in most cases displays a touch of dictatorship qualities that are greatly avoided in modern political setups. The final decision that is made has to be to the satisfaction of the public in a bid to keep the peace (Ross, 2011). Studying the public’s opinion allows one to determine whether they may need to convince on certain issues so as to get a particular result. c. The Prisoners The last group that should be taken into consideration is the prisoners themselves as this is a decision that will affect their lives above all others. It would not be right to remove them from the equation especially as the topic of discussion involves them and thus they should have a discussion where they will express their own opinions on the matter which should be taken into consideration when the final decision is made (Harel, 2008). It is especially important to take the various parties involved in this query due to this particular group of people who due to their circumstances stand a risk of being overlooked by the society if those responsible for the collection of opinions do not consider everyone who is involved (Ross, 2011). Studying this particular group can also serve one to come to a final decision on whether they should be allowed to vote or not. This is because through such efforts one is given the opportunity to observe the basic mindset of the people involved and based on such observations come up with a clear view of the best route to take when approaching such a sensitive topic(Fishkin, 2011). It would insensitive to ignore the main party involved when attempting to tackle a particular topic that has been founded with the group in question as the main foundation. Factors to Consider When Making a Decision Various factors should be considered as well when attempting to answer the question on whether prisoners in the UK should be given the right to vote. These are factors that are in one way or another related to certain elements of the subject and thus hold some level of influence in that sphere (Ross, 2011). These factors can also be related to the topic in general terms that cannot be overlooked for the sake of the application of accuracy, efficiency and clarity in the final decision. Some of the factors that need to be considered when determining an appropriate answer to the question of prisoners’ voting rights in the UK include: i. Fairness This is a simplistic consideration in itself, but is thought to be one of the most important factors that should be put at the forefront by those involved. It is essential that the aspect of fairness is upheld when taking into account all the various issues that come into play when considering allowing prisoners in the UK to vote (Fishkin, 2011). The issue of fairness comes as a result of a topic that has been mentioned repeatedly in the earlier stages which is a democratic standpoint. Regardless of the decision to be made, it ought be one that exercises fairness according to the particular circumstances that are being faced and should not benefit one particular group over another (Lynch, 2007). The issue of fairness can be upheld in a number of ways such as ensuring that every group that is involved in the particular decision that needs to be made is considered from an equal standpoint with no party being placed at an advantage over the rest in terms of their wants and opinions. The importance of fairness is to ensure that the final decision that is made is one that can be described as logical and can be argued successfully if ever the need to defend the decision ever arises (Lynch, 2007). Fairness can be encouraged by relating factors and practices such as the transparency of the decision making process whereby the methods and steps that are taken to come to a final decision are available for everyone to see. This will remove any chances of suspected foul play that may sour the reception of the final decision as a result of lingering doubts. ii. Resulting Effects Another critical factor to consider is the potential effects that a particular will have in the immediate future as well as in the long term. The effects that a decision will have on the society whether good or bad, need to be determined to the best of the decision makers’ abilities so as to properly prepare for the expected reaction once the decision is announced (Fishkin, 2011). If the expected reaction is a negative, it is advisable to reevaluate the scenario to determine the reason behind such potential dissent. The focal aim of any government is to maintain the peace, satisfaction and prosperity of its citizens and as such it is essential for them to develop an efficient working relationship with the public (Lynch, 2007). Achieving this endeavor will help in enhancing the predicting capabilities of the government when it comes to determining the effect that the decision will have. iii. Pros and Cons Every subject has a pro and a con to it when studied closely and it is the same with the issue of voting amongst prisoners. It is crucial to study the pros and cons of allowing prisoners to vote (or continuing to deny them voting rights) so as to have a clear and concise picture of how things stand at a current moment in time. Laying out the advantages and disadvantages of a situation can serve as the main basis behind a decision (Harel, 2008). The simple structure to this setting is the observing of which side outweighs the other in terms of merit and making a decision based on the results. Simply put, if there are more pros than cons then the activity in question would be a recommendable one vice versa should the cons be more than the pros available. Various pros and cons can be found when considering the question whether prisoners should be allowed to vote in the UK. Some of the Pros that are involved for instance include: Allowing prisoners to vote removes the political alienation that can be said they are shackled with once they go into the system. Since prisoners are not allowed to hold most official government positions even after their release, refusing them the right to vote as well effectively alienates them from society, which technically goes against the correctional institutions original aim of reeducating and reintegrating convicts back into the society (Fishkin, 2011). Another pro is that allowing prisoners to votes creates a clearer perspective of a society’s political opinion overall. Overlooking the potential votes of prisoners is similar to ignoring their opinion on political matters which is not advisable as some individuals may still hold sufficient influence over other who can vote even if they do not vote themselves (Harel, 2008). The third Pro that can be taken into consideration is that by allowing prisoners to vote, the society in effect encourages the inclusion of such individuals in the democratic process and it is such faith that may urge one to change their ways so as to merit the trust that has been placed in them. There are also a number of cons that can be found in this question. Some of them include: Not every individual will be comfortable with the decision to allow prisoners to vote and there is a potential of emerging political unrest as a result. Revoking of an individual’s voting rights currently serves as a means of punishment and thus its negation may be seen as the acceptance of unruly individuals prone to breaking the law and the encouragement of such behavior. Conclusion In conclusion, if prisoners are allowed to vote in the UK, it should be done according to a specific strategy that has been drawn up to ensure that there is no negative impact. Not all prisoners should be denied a vote and using a clearly structured outline, it is possible to determine the various categories that could define such a design. References Fishkin, J. S. 2011. When the People Speak. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Harel, A.2008. "A Theory of Direct Legislation" LFB Scholarly. Lynch, P. 2007. “Party System Change in Britain: Multi-Party Politics in a Multi-Level Polity”British Politics.2 Ross, C. 2011. The Leaderless Revolution: How Ordinary People Can Take Power and Change Politics in the 21st Century. New York: Simon & Schuster. Read More