Should prisoners be allowed to vote?

[LiquidLuck.]

You don't lose the right to vote indefinitely. Ex-convicts can vote. Once you leave prison, you've served your time and can vote.

Not everywhere. In the US alone there are 11 states where you can lose that right permanently.

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Found something interesting:

Thomas Hammarberg, Commissioner for Human Rights at the Council of Europe (with 47 member states), has argued strongly that prisoners should have the right to vote. “Prisoners, though deprived of physical liberty, have human rights,” he has argued. “Measures should be taken to ensure that imprisonment does not undermine rights which are unconnected to the intention of the punishment. Indeed, authorities should ensure, for instance, that a prisoner can receive health care and have contact with his or her family. The right to study, to be informed and to vote belongs to this same category of rights which should be protected.”

[GommeInc]

Not everywhere. In the US alone there are 11 states where you can lose that right permanently.

- - - Updated - - -

Found something interesting:

Thomas Hammarberg, Commissioner for Human Rights at the Council of Europe (with 47 member states), has argued strongly that prisoners should have the right to vote. “Prisoners, though deprived of physical liberty, have human rights,” he has argued. “Measures should be taken to ensure that imprisonment does not undermine rights which are unconnected to the intention of the punishment. Indeed, authorities should ensure, for instance, that a prisoner can receive health care and have contact with his or her family. The right to study, to be informed and to vote belongs to this same category of rights which should be protected.”

What he says is arguable. Healthcare is important as is education, as it is education that keeps you informed and is compulsory for everyone. Voting isn't compulsory, not everyone does it and not everyone wants to do it. The two are very different both legally and morally. Also, the democratic process of voting is arguably connected to the punishment, since it is the democratic process that has probably put you there in the first place.

[KingEvan]

Well basically, some countries are nicer then other ones (obviously). I think that might be a reason that some countries take that right away forever if you commit a crime.

[Kuybii]

cos they give up their rights when they choose to commit crimes

This. It is all that needed to be said. As a prisoner you should be stripped of everything as soon as you set foot in a prison. But the only thing i would say is that i think it would strongly depend on the crime they committed, if they're in prison for anything above 5/6 years then no. Anything under then yes.