A
BILL
TO
Make provision for rules relating to the exclusion of convicted prisoners from
participation in Parliamentary and Local Elections.
Be it enacted by the Queen’s most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and
consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present
Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:—
A prisoner serving a custodial sentence is disqualified from voting at a
parliamentary or local government election.
(1) 5In this Act—
“custodial sentence” means a sentence of imprisonment, detention or
custody passed in respect of an offence (including a corresponding
sentence imposed by a foreign court);
“local government election” has the meaning given by section 203(1) of
10the Representation of the People Act 1983;
“prison” means an institution to which the Prison Act 1952 applies;
“prisoner” means—
a person detained in, or on temporary release from, prison, or
a person who is unlawfully at large but who would otherwise
15be detained in prison.
(2) In subsection (1)—
(a)
“offence” includes a service offence within the meaning of the Armed
Forces Act 2006;
(b) “sentence” does not include a committal—
(i)
20in default of payment of a sum adjudged to be paid by a
conviction, or
(ii) for contempt or any kindred offence.
Convicted Prisoners Voting BillPage 2
(3)
This Act applies to a prisoner because of a sentence only if he or she is detained
in pursuance of that particular sentence (or would if not on temporary release
or unlawfully at large).
5This Act applies to people sentenced before, as well as to people sentenced
after, this Act comes into force.
(1) This Act may be cited as the Convicted Prisoners Voting Act 2014.
(2) This Act extends to the whole of the United Kingdom.