The High court has struck down legislation denying the vote to prisoners incarcerated within the prison system - but upholding that denial for those serving in excess of a three year sentence.
Gaining the vote has been an emotional issue over hundreds of years. In particular, women only gained the vote during the twentieth century - and then only after vigorous action that saw many derided - and in some cases gaoled.
It sounds reasonable that prisoners serving life sentences for despicable crime should lose the vote along with their liberty but that same criteria does not necessarily apply to those sentenced for lesser crimes.
Because a person is a prisoner does not mean that they have abandoned their interest in politics or their right to choose the government under whose laws they are expected to obey.
In particular, prisoners have an acute interest in drug laws because in many instances these are the very laws they have transgressed. Drug laws are not uniform between countries - let alone states - and some people are in prison for crimes that mandate a gaol sentence in one state but are treated as a minor matter only attracting a fine elsewhere.
They would have a very real interest in who is elected to office, particularly when the party involved stands on a platform of revising drug laws.
It seems strange to deprive a prisoner of his or her voting rights when at the same time society is adamant that they should retain their dignity as a person and be afforded the protection of their civil rights in other respects.
It seems that the wisdom of the High court has once again struck the right balance in interpreting the laws that govern our lives !
No comments:
Post a Comment