The prison philosophers debate their right to vote

The prison philosophers debate their right to vote

Prisoners already have the right to vote – they just can't get out to the ballot box

By Alan Smith, Guardian, Monday 21 February 2011 17.30 GMT

The polling station – out of reach for prisoners. Photograph: Jon Super/AP

The people who sit with me in my classroom in the prison are just like you. They are individual specks in a hugely varied society, just like you. Prisons are not full of rapists and murderers, and the hysterical rhetoric shrilling its way out of the House of Commons last week was both intellectually bankrupt and socially destructive. It is just silly to argue from worst case to general policy. Even sillier to sloganise: "those who break the law should not make the law". The electorate do not make the law, that is what MPs do, and of course none of them have ever broken the law.

"Most of us," said Ian, "are not in prison because we have done something vile, we are in prison because we've been convicted."

"And crime," said Casey, "is socially constructed."

"Oh come on," Steve was a bit down about the whole business, "why get stressed out about it?"

"Because it's worth it. They're saying, 'You're not like us, you're less than us, all of you'."

"When is a human being not a human being?" said Casey.

"If I get released on election day, do I suddenly become fully human again, magically, so that I'm worthy to vote?"

"Listen," Steve again, "fair enough, I don't count. And I don't."

"But that's not a good way to be."

"And I don't count when I'm on the out either. Most people don't count."

"No," said Ian, "you can't think like that. Did you see Question Time? The audience applauded when the panel talked about rehabilitation. Ordinary people, they don't want to grind us into the earth."

"Eighty odd thousand in jail," I can't remember who this was, "that must mean that a lot more have been in jail and been released. The way we're going, there won't be a working-class family in the land that hasn't had a family member banged up."

"Did you notice who it was who spoke about rehabilitation?"

"Who?"

"John Prescott. And what is he? He's a working-class person. All the millionaires were just heaping more and more opprobrium on us. Just attacking us. That narrow political elite that takes the piss out of him and won't invite him for dinner."

"Can't see them inviting us, either."

"Anyway," said Casey, "we do in fact have the right to vote. The problem is that the government won't give us the means to do it."

'"What?"

"Absolutely. If you happened to be out on a day's leave on election day you could go and vote. If you were in Cat D you could go and vote."

"If you were registered."

"That's right."

"Take a bit of arranging."

"But this is how silly it all is. If you gave prisoners the vote, how many do you think would do it? And then you've got the MPs voting that the government should break European laws. That's what this amounts to."

"'Those who break the laws should not make the laws'."

"You're damn right."

"We could invite him."

"Who?"

"John Prescott."

"We couldn't," Ade is looking round at our bare room, "receive him."

Then there was a certain amount of speculation about whether or not he would wear his ermine robe. I know who is going to have to write the letter. I know who will get the blame if he says no.

• Alan Smith teaches philosophy in a prison