While I make no comment either way about prisoners being given the vote, the prospect of politicians slopping out for the cameras; doing anything for a precious vote in a marginal constituency is surely inevitable. Chris Dabinett, Manchester

Instead of considering the prisoners' feelings of justice and having a right to vote, consider the damage of adding a number of votes from people who probably have socially disfunctional, damaged and/or warped viewpoints. We should consider the good and best interests of the law-abiding majority. Pat Jones, St Albans

Could somebody in Brussels tell me why people whose main goal is to brake the law should be given the right to be participate in a game intended to create more laws? I always thought that depriving inmates of their civil rights is the main purpose of incarceration, unless being in jail is now some kind of paid vacation. Edmond Mergelsberg, Columbia, California

Of course prisoners ought to be able to vote in parliamentary elections. They ought not to be allowed to run for Parliament, but that's happened before (Bobby Sands). For the scaremongers, which is worse? The criminal law provides specific penalties - now reduced generally to loss of liberty, restricted liberty, probation and CSOs, and fines. Nowhere does it curtail the right to vote except, perhaps, for electoral offences. A prisoner is still a member of society, still amenable to its laws - as far as they impinge on life in gaol - and still affected by social and governmental issues. He is rightly entitled to decide who represents him, who makes the laws and who determines policy for everyone. As for prisons becoming political pressure points, prisoners could be registered in the constituency of their last residence before incarceration, thus distributing them around the country. Coggie Gibbons, Hamilton, Bermuda

Regardless of whether a person is in prison or not, they are still affected by the laws and the government of the country. Because of this, prisoners just like other adult citizens, should have the right to vote. For those people who seemed to have forgotten, we live in a democracy where everybody is equal, irrespective of how much or how little a person has contributed to society, financially or otherwise. Voting should not be considered a privilege or a benefit which can be earned or lost. It should be considered part of a person's human rights. Withholding the vote from prisoners was an archaic law which was in definite need of reform. Gemma McKenzie, Liverpool

No. Convicted prisoners have committed crimes against decent society and have therefore opted out of that society. They should therefore not be allowed to vote since to do so would allow them a say in how the society they have opted out of is governed. They have chosen their path and forfeited that right. Simon Newark, Sidcup

It think it is absurd those that break the rules of society should have a say in how the rules are to be made. There is a time for civility and a time for facing the consequences. Why should the inmates run the asylum? Corey Baucham, Houston, USA

"Right to free elections" actually defines the issue. Prisoners have lost their right to freedom and therefore their right to participate in free elections. End of story. Given the nature of elections today that are producing slim margins of victory, how repugnant it would be to have a candidate win on the basis of the prison vote in their constituency. Even accepting that serious offenders would be excluded from this ridiculous ruling this remains a travesty of justice, particularly for the victims of the offenders who are able to vote. We should withdraw from the Convention on Human Rights forthwith and free ourselves from the shackles of the European Court of Human Rights. Richard Kenward, Sweden

The right to vote for prisoners should be assessed on an individual basis as opposed to a blanket ban for all UK prisoners. Those serving sentences for less serious crimes with short prison sentences should not automatically have their vote taken away. Helen Kalozois, London

There is no logical reason why convicts shouldn't vote. The only reason they can't is that when suffrage was gradually doled out to the masses by those in authority, the latter determined that, as far as possible, they would restrict the possibility of their authority being taken away. Thus, women, the landless, etc, were only gradually allowed the vote. This is an anachronism that should be removed. Dan Tanzey, Blackpool

The right to vote is not a privilege but a practical arrangement by which the citizens of a country decide on who is to govern them and under what laws they are to be governed. It is a matter that affects us all, the good, the bad and the ugly. Disenfranchising any part of the population is endowing it with the moral right to break laws in whose promulgation it had no say – that way lies terrorism justification. Frederick Carter-Smith, Wokingham

I support the prisoner's right to vote. First, it is a prisoner's right according to the Convention Britain signed. Secondly, this right to vote gives prisoners a link to society which they should be prepared for and better adjusted to when they finish their sentence. Miko, Poland

In the 18th century, the colonists in America rebelled against the Crown on the principle of "no taxation without representation". How about reversing this to "no representation without taxation"? Prisoners are not contributing to society through the payment of taxes or economically productive work. Voting is not a basic human right. It is a privilege; one which people are still being murdered for by terrorists in Iraq and other places. Prisoners gain this privilege when they are released and are able to contribute to society instead of being supported by it. Gerrard Craig, Liverpool