PRISONERS’ right to vote allows them to shape the Island they want to see when they are released, the Constable of St Brelade has said.
Mike Jackson recently visited HMP La Moye recently to speak with inmates about their ability to vote in the St Brelade constituency in this year’s election. There are currently six prisoners registered for a postal vote.
Prisoners, serving a sentence of less than four years, were given the right to vote in Jersey in 2017 after the former Home Affairs Minister Len Norman successfully brought a proposition to the States arguing that the Island could have been in breach of the European Convention on Human Rights if it did not support the change.
Mr Jackson said: ‘I was invited to meet with some of the prisoners now that they can vote. It can be difficult for them to engage with politicians due to the nature of their residency, so I thought it was a great opportunity to chat with them.
‘Every single voter is important. We have a free democracy and everyone should be able to express their views at the ballot box. It gives them the chance to shape the island they want to see upon their release.’
Mr Jackson said that the main concern prisoners shared was the worry that they would not be able to successfully reintegrate into society once they had served their sentence.
He added that reducing reoffending should be high on the list of the next States Assembly.
‘A lot of them were concerned about their rehabilitation when released. They are worried about whether they will be able to get a job, because if they can’t then
they have no source of income, which means they won’t be able to find accommodation.
‘We already have services such as the Sanctuary Trust, which supports homeless people in the Island and have a place in St Aubin, but we need to make sure we are doing everything to help inmates back into society. We have an obligation to do so,’ he said.
Independent candidate Jonathan Renouf, who is standing for deputy in St Brelade, is also due to meet with prisoners in the coming days.
