Do you think prisoners or people under section should be entitled to vote?
‘We don’t count, we’re just a piece of shite... When I get out of here I’m going to get a milk crate and I’m going to stand in the centre of Coatbridge... and say, wait a minute, we should fucking get a vote from the jail... If I was outside the prison right now, I would go down and vote for two people... Conservatives and fucking Labour, or whatever they fucking call the cunts with silly names. I would vote for the two of them... Right, fucking, stand, right, and tell them, say: “Listen, what about all these people aren’t allowed to vote. We’re in prison and we’re not allowed a vote because we’re in prison for something we done stupid, right. I know it’s our own fault, but we should still get our say and vote.” You know what I’m on about? See when you’re in prison, you should get a vote! Because we get our lives run by cunts we never even fucking voted for. Our votes could count for another person and they could be running it and we would want them to, instead of the other fucker that wins because of all us that are in prison can’t get a say.’
George – PYOI

‘I think they should be allowed. I was in prison for a spell... Well, they’re still human, do you know what I mean? I think they should be allowed as well, yeah. If they’ve got the ability to put a cross on a bit of paper, you know what I mean? Why not? It’s just like discrimination isn’t it?
Tracey – CCI

‘You don’t just pick and choose people and say, “You’ve to vote, you’ve to vote, you’ve to vote,” because, there’s more than just those people; there’s everybody else, like there’s me, there’s you, there’s everybody. Everybody that’s over the age should be entitled to vote if they want to. It doesn’t matter what you are... I suppose in a way I would agree that mental patients can’t vote because they’ve no scruples. I don’t mean that in a bad way, but they’re sick, sick in the mind... They don’t understand all that, so maybe in a way it’s good that they don’t get to vote, but at the same time, they’ve got to live in this world so why should they not be given a chance to vote.’
Maggie – JSH

‘Everybody has a right to vote... I just think it’s discrimination... There’s a lot of people in jail for not their fault... There’s people up there who are in jail for just trying to speak out against something that is wrong, horribly wrong... political prisoners basically. There’s people in jail for peace, for being peace activists, and peace campaigners as such... Everybody should be able to vote if they want to vote.’
Craig – FPC

‘It’s hard to say. Basically I think they should vote, because they still have a say in what’s happening in the country, so why not? It’s like the elderly with amnesia or something, old–timers, it’s just the same. I’d let everybody vote.’
John – JSH

‘Most of us don’t vote right, but like it’s nice to have the choice if you want to vote. We’re all fucking human beings man, know what I mean. We should all get treated the fucking same, it doesn’t matter what. They’re stripping us enough as it is.’
Jimmy – PYOI

‘Aye, I think we should be allowed to vote, because I was in jail during the last general election, and there was a riot because we couldn’t vote... I think they should all be allowed to vote because their vote changes the Home Secretary, so if they could vote for a different Home Secretary they might make changes in the prison system, and make it better. The long term prisoner that’s in jail for 25 years, it matters to him. If he can’t get another toilet roll or something! Two a week!’
Andy – JSH

‘Yes, but they’re hardly going to vote for the current system, are they?... I think everyone’s got to be able to have a say... I suppose it’s a bit weird talking about how to make a system which I don’t agree with better, but you know, yes, I think everyone should have the right to have a say.’
Jo – FPC

‘I was in the jail myself a while back... see when your in the jail, the last thing you worry about is politics, d’you know what ah mean? All your interested in doing is getting your head down, getting your sentence done and getting out to your loved ones or whatever, your bird. You don’t sit about saying, “Labour’s doing well this night”, no, that just doesn’t happen... But I think they should find out why they’re not voting. Just because they’re in the jail or because somebody’s hopeless, homeless, doesn’t mean they’ve not got a say in how this county’s run.’
Steve – CCI

‘Yes, because their sentence will end and they will have to come out and live in Scotland and I think they should have a say and a vote. Not them that have long sentences, but if they have a short sentence... they should have a say in their own country, so I think they should have the vote.’
John – JSH

‘Policies affect them so they should be allowed to try and have a say.’
Katey – FPC

‘If you’re a criminal, that doesn’t impair your judgement in voting... If you give one prisoner the vote, you’ve got to give them all it... I don’t see why mental patients shouldn’t get a vote. At the end of the day if you gave them voting powers, they probably wouldn’t vote anyway, so it’d be as good as not giving them the vote. If you’re mentally impaired, is that going to change your judgement, are you going to vote for the wrong party? What party is the wrong party?’
Scott – JSH
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