32.This section disfranchises those who are detained in mental institutions as a consequence of criminal activity. It inserts a new section to follow section 3 of the Representation of the People Act 1983.
33.Subsection (1) of the new section provides that a person who is detained (or who would be detained but for being unlawfully at large) under the enactments listed in the section may not vote in parliamentary or local government elections.
34.Subsections (2)-(7) list the enactments under which people may be detained in England and Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland and which are covered by the new section. The enactments fall into two principal categories:
Commentary on Sections Section 2: Disfranchisement of Offenders Detained in Mental Hospitals