Overview

This bill proposes a law to explicitly ban prisoners serving custodial sentences from voting in parliamentary and local government elections across the United Kingdom. The ban applies regardless of the length of sentence or the nature of the crime.

Description

The Convicted Prisoners Voting Bill aims to codify the existing practice of denying prisoners the right to vote. The bill defines "custodial sentence" broadly to include imprisonment, detention, or custody for any offense, including those under foreign court judgments. It clarifies that the ban applies to individuals serving sentences, even if they are temporarily released or unlawfully at large. The bill specifies that the ban only applies to the sentence being served and explicitly excludes committals for non-payment of fines or contempt of court. Importantly, this Act applies retroactively, affecting those already serving sentences.

Key Definitions:

• Custodial sentence: Imprisonment, detention, or custody for an offense.
• Local government election: Defined by section 203(1) of the Representation of the People Act 1983.
• Prison: An institution under the Prison Act 1952.
• Prisoner: Someone detained in prison, temporarily released, or unlawfully at large but who would otherwise be detained.

Government Spending

The bill is not expected to significantly impact government spending. The administrative cost of enforcing the ban is likely to be minimal.

Groups Affected

• Prisoners: This bill directly affects prisoners serving custodial sentences by denying them the right to vote.
• Political Parties: The bill may indirectly affect political parties by altering the potential voter base and potentially influencing election outcomes.
• Election Officials: Election officials will be responsible for enforcing the provisions of the bill.

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