No Vote On Jail - A Position Paper
No Vote On Jail - A Position Paper
No Vote On Jail - A Position Paper
As we all know, our nation is continuously fight for its people’s rights. The right to
vote is one of the foremost among them. This right is very crucial in our country because
it defines the nation’s democracy. According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, Democracy
is a form of government in which people choose leaders by voting. In this type of state, all
its citizens are treated equally and have equal rights. The right to vote is very essential in
our country because it defines our nation’s identity which is being a democratic country
that shows freedom for all the citizens it has. But these rights are only for those who
deserves it. For me, those people’s rights must have its limitations when it comes to one’s
identity. Think about this situation, when prisoners have the right to vote, there will be a
chance that they will use it as their instrument/weapon to revoke their committed crimes.
This situation will happen if the elected politician have a connection to them. As we all
know, the power of politicians makes everything correct even if the things/statements are
wrong. One of the situation illustrated above proves that not all rights must be apply to
everyone because of the consequences it brings in our society. For me, the prisoners should
not have the right to vote because in their times of imprisonment, they are not considered
as a citizen of a country in which they are not involved in any political and social activities
of the society. Our country must have a citizens that obeying the laws not a citizens that
disobeying the simple rules/laws implemented by the government. The right to vote is only
for those people who deserves it. Letting prisoners to vote is devaluing the country and it
makes no sense at all in a way of making our elections biased.
Here in the Philippines, we all know that election is one of the very significant event
in our country because it shows the nation’s identity which is being a Democratic Country.
In an election, every votes are very important because it dictates the future of our nation.
Because of that, our government implemented some rules and regulations when it comes
to voting during the elections. Through this, the right to vote must be given to those who
have enough knowledge to choose the right leader which can do the responsibilities of
being a leader.
The primary arguments allowing the prisoners the right to vote (statements that
counterpart my stand) are: (1) Prisoners are still a part of a society in which they also need
an equal rights and freedoms, (2) Prisoners must experience equality because they are still
a citizens of the nation in which everyone have the rights and freedoms as a person, (3)
Allowing prisoners to vote would help in their reintroduction into society, (4) Prisoners
deserve a second chance, and (5) Prisoners’ voices matter. According to some research,
Prisoners’ voices are essential to the advancement of our criminal justice system. These
counterarguments seems to be no strong proofs in allowing the prisoners to vote. As we
can see, prisoners needs to be rehabilitated in order for them to be in a good condition in
which their mind and body functions well. Allowing prisoners to vote during elections
makes our elections untruthful because of biases that will happen. For me, prisoners should
not allow to vote during election because of the state of their mind wherein it can be
influence by others. As we all know, prisoners needs to be rehabilitated because of their
disorders which have a negative impact in our society. They need to be isolated from the
real world in order for them to make realization about their selves that helps them improve
their lives from being a bad influence to others.
Prisoners shouldn't be given the right to vote. As a consequence to the crime they
commit, they should be prohibited from having the freedom to vote. It is a just punishment
for them to pay what they violated. Those who commit crimes break not only the law but
also do betrayed the nation and the people of the nation. It would result to restriction of
citizens' privilege but heavier than that is the damage suffered by the country because of
their crimes. The purpose of revocating the prisoner's right to vote would be his penalty to
compensate the damage he did. Losing one's right to vote is equivalent to taking away one's
power to exercise his right as a citizen of the Philippines. It is equivalent to non-
acknowledgement of one's identity as a citizen of the nation. It removes the capacity of the
prisoner to engage or to take actions regarding civil matters. This is all because of the
violation he did to the law and to the whole nation.
It is right for the prisoners to be prohibited of their freedom to vote. As they are
sentenced with final judgment, it comes with heavy restrictions to certain rights including
the right to vote. It is not a violation of justice if they are forbidden of the said right. It is
an incidental penalty that go together with the crime they commit. Removing the right to
vote is one of the way to discipline criminals specially those who are sentenced for lifetime
imprisonment.
Another reason for this right to be removed it that it might be a way of committing
another crime among those high profile inmates. The public might not know if there is
really a wide connection between criminals and politicians. There are a lot of instances that
politicians got involved to issues that result to violation of the law. In order to minimize
this, forbidding those violators from voting can be used as control. It can help to stop the
abuse of control to those who secretly commit injustices. It is set for the protection of public
interest which will be primarily affected when criminal and political issues arise.
Finally, prisoners should not have the right to vote because of the state of their being
in which they have no capability to think well for the good of the nation. As we all know,
prisoners commits different crimes that have a negative impact in our community. Limiting
their rights is a must because it is only the way to improve their lives. For me, limiting their
rights as a human person is not a violation to the rules/laws of the human rights because it
is only for a good purpose.