LONDON, March 2 (UPI) -- A non-partisan campaign has been launched in Britain to allow prison inmates to vote, The Daily Mail reported from London Tuesday.
At a news conference, politicians from the three major parties were joined by church leaders and prison reform groups in the call to reverse the ban.
The law that strips convicted inmates of voting rights dates back to 1870, but the Representation of the People Act 1983 contains the current legislation, which bars prisoners from voting.
Representatives of the Labor and Conservative parties also endorsed a lifting of the ban.
Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman Mark Oaten said voting was part of social responsibility inmates needed to acquire.
"If we want people to return to their communities as law-abiding citizens, we must encourage them to play a positive part in shaping their futures by their own efforts and commitment," Oaten said.
England and Wales have the highest imprisonment rate in the European Union, at 141 for every 100,000 of population.
