Prison Policy In Europe

“The mood and temper of the public with regard to the treatment of crime and criminals is one of the unfailing tests of the civilisation of a country.”

Winston Churchill’s realisation has greatly informed the Council of Europe’s work in the development of penal policy and its efforts to strike the right balance between sanction, treatment, reintegration and the protection of victims and society.

Will UK Prisoners Win Right To Take Part In Elections?

Image by The Prime Minister's Office via Flickr

Prison reformers hope new signals from the upper reaches of the British Government may lead to the removal of the ban on prisoners taking part in elections.

The Guardian newspaper claims that the British Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has given his backing to "enfranchising prisoners."

It also reports that the UK government should abide by a 2005 European Court of Human Righhts ruling that the ban was unlawful.

Follow the link to the Hirst v. the United Kingdom judgement which sparked the debate.