The Political Lives Of The Incarcerated
March 11, 2020 8:09 AM Subscribe
With the long history in the US of disenfranchising convicted criminals, there has been little serious work on finding out where they stand politically. But with the push to restore the franchise to those convicted of crimes, this is becoming increasingly important - which is why Slate and the Marshall Project have run a political survey of America's incarcerated.
The development of the survey was a major undertaking, given the propensity of prisons to control information flow. Given this, they created both digital and physical versions to make response easier. Even given that, they expected receiving around 1000 responses.
They got over 8000.
The results of those surveys and follow-up interviews have created a series to go through the results. So far, two parts have been published - one on how prisoners view politics, and one on what issues prisoners see as the most pressing for the nation.
The development of the survey was a major undertaking, given the propensity of prisons to control information flow. Given this, they created both digital and physical versions to make response easier. Even given that, they expected receiving around 1000 responses.
They got over 8000.
The results of those surveys and follow-up interviews have created a series to go through the results. So far, two parts have been published - one on how prisoners view politics, and one on what issues prisoners see as the most pressing for the nation.
Anecdotally, at least in the UK, prison populations swing surprisingly right-wing. Send the immigrants back, workhouses for welfare scroungers, hang 'em and flog 'em, and so on.
posted by acb at 7:29 AM on March 12, 2020
posted by acb at 7:29 AM on March 12, 2020
Anecdotally, at least in the UK, prison populations swing surprisingly right-wing. Send the immigrants back, workhouses for welfare scroungers, hang 'em and flog 'em, and so on.
Slate just released their piece on Trump’s surprisingly strong support in prison, along with how incarceration changes one's politics.
posted by NoxAeternum at 7:35 AM on March 12, 2020 [1 favorite]
Slate just released their piece on Trump’s surprisingly strong support in prison, along with how incarceration changes one's politics.
posted by NoxAeternum at 7:35 AM on March 12, 2020 [1 favorite]
I wonder whether the dynamics are similar to those where children who are hit by their parents tend to be more prone to violence as adults. Trauma as contagion.
posted by acb at 8:30 AM on March 12, 2020
posted by acb at 8:30 AM on March 12, 2020
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As a fan of evidence-based opinion (as in, I prefer to adjust my perceptions of society based on actual data when I can), I really value this kind of data gathering and presentation.
This is a GREAT project, and the information is surprising and valuable.
Thank you so much for sharing this with us, NoxAeternum. I doubt I would have come across it otherwise.
posted by kristi at 10:52 AM on March 11, 2020 [2 favorites]