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PRISONERS, POLITICS AND THE POLLS

By Behan & O'Donnell

Enfranchisement and the Burden of Responsibility

In 2006, the Irish Government introduced legislation to allow prisoners to vote. Drawing on international
developments in jurisprudence and criminal justice, this article examines the background
to, and wider significance of, this change in the law. A lack of political and media opposition
ensured the relatively unnoticed passage of this reform through Parliament. Prisoners had their first
opportunity to exercise the franchise in 2007. While the number who registered was small, the turnout
was relatively high. The seemingly benign desire to restore a measure of civic engagement to prisoners
may conceal a narrow desire to see them lead law-abiding and ‘ responsible ’ lives rather than
encouraging them to engage in a process of personal transformation or become reflective agents for
change.