French Prisoners Cast their Vote in the 2019 European Elections: An ad hoc Analysis of their Electoral Choices and Political Attitudes

AbstractFrance belongs to a group of jurisdictions where the vast majority of prisoners retain their right to vote, but where it remained difficult to exercise this right until a March 2019 Act unexpectedly allowed them to vote via a booth and ballot box for the EU parliamentary elections. This article analyses their participation and political choices at a national level. It further presents the result of an ad hoc study conducted in three prisons which explored prisoners’ political culture, their interest in political life, their perception of the political challenges and contemporary questions, and their political convictions and values. Our general findings are that prisoners only partially differ from the general population regarding their political choices. At a deeper level, the findings also show that prisoners have more ‘political capital’ than politicians assume. We conclude with comments on the untapped potential this holds for their reintegration into the community.