The right of prisoners to vote: a global overview

In 2015, PRI commissioned eight international law firms – facilitated by Advocates for International Development (A4ID) – to review the extent of (dis)enfranchisement of detained persons in dozens of jurisdictions worldwide, and, where applicable, the conditions under which voting rights were restricted.

In 45 per cent of the 66 countries surveyed, conviction to imprisonment is automatically followed by disenfranchisement. Most countries – although not all – permit pre-trial detainees to vote in principle. In practice, however, even where prisoners are entitled to vote, participation is very low.