Convicted persons detained in penal institutions are not entitled to be registered because they are legally incapable of voting. However, it is possible that in some limited circumstances, a prisoner may meet the criteria to register to vote.
Can a prisoner on remand register?
A person who has been remanded in custody (but is not a convicted prisoner) who is detained in a penal institution or some other place for custodial purposes, may be deemed to be resident there for registration purposes, if the period of detention is sufficient to enable them to be regarded as being resident there.1
A remand prisoner may also choose to register by making a declaration of local connection at:2
the address at which they would be living if they were not a prisoner on remand
an address where they used to live before they became a prisoner on remand
A remand prisoner may still be considered resident at their permanent home if their stay at their place of custody is not long enough for them to be able to be regarded as resident there or for them to be able to register through a declaration of local connection.3
Can a convicted prisoner released on temporary licence register?
Convicted persons detained in penal institutions are not entitled to be registered because they are legally incapable of voting. However, it is possible that in some limited circumstances, convicted prisoners who have been released on temporary licence may meet the criteria to register to vote. In these cases, the person’s place of residence should be determined in the ordinary way.