WASHINGTON, D.C.—A recent survey conducted by The Marshall Project in partnership with Slate reveals a large portion of incarcerated individuals across 45 states, despite their disenfranchisement, expressed significant support for former President Donald Trump ahead of the 2024 election.
The survey, which gathered responses from over 54,000 individuals in 785 prisons and jails, highlights a notable trend of political leanings toward Trump, raising questions about the political dynamics within the criminal justice system.
The survey found that, if eligible, 46 percent of the incarcerated respondents would vote for Trump, with white male respondents showing the highest levels of support. The survey challenges assumptions of GOP support by incarcerated individuals, many of whom are disproportionately affected by Republican criminal justice policies.
According to The Marshall Project, even Black men in the survey, a group historically known for their opposition to Republican policies, showed some support for Trump, signaling a complex dynamic in the political leanings of incarcerated individuals.
Many respondents pointed out their limited access to diverse news sources, which could influence their perspectives on political candidates.
Incarcerated people’s political views are often shaped by the racial segregation in their facilities, said the survey, noting segregation dictates which news programs people watch and with whom they tend to watch.
White incarcerated tend to watch Fox News, while Black individuals often gravitate toward MSNBC. This separation in media consumption is believed to contribute to the differences in political perspectives observed in the survey.
The Marshall Project emphasized how limited political engagement behind bars, compounded by racial segregation, can distort perceptions of candidates and their policies.
Takes one to know what one.
Don’t do that. It’s basic demographics 101.
Maybe Ron Desantis should stop impeding ex-cons from voting
That’s actually a good point. I think the right especially has not adjusted to how much voting patterns have shifted over the last decade. A lot of the voter ID measures may end up hurting the right more than the left because of who is largely supporting Trump these days.
In more than one way prisoners are a captive audience. Administrators of prisons and jails are disproportionately in support of Trump and his policies. They control what news, radio, and other forms of media prisoners have access to. Many times this affects the way some prisoners come to their decisions of who they believe will represent their interests. Brainwashing is real.
At the end of the day, Trump and Vance will promote and activate policies/laws that will harm all prisoners’ ability to rehabilitate themselves or secure their own freedom through post-conviction relief. Daily, I conduct opposition research so I have a strong understanding of what the far right is saying and doing. Incarcerated human beings won’t realize they’ve been duped until Trump has been in for about a year and his fascist agenda begins to manifest in a way that is clear to all, even those trapped inside American prisons and jails. The dangerous part of a Trump presidency is (a) the abolition of term limits for the presidency, (b) the eroding or destruction of civil and human rights, and (c) a systematic attack on anyone who dissents. Those imprisoned will be especially vulnerable because solitary confinement and draconian behavior modification programs will be utilized to censor and suppress speech that the government classifies as subversive. Women in America of all races and ethnicities and Generation Z can defeat Donald Trump and JD Vance easily. However, I am not sure if Kamala Harris and Tim Walz have adequately inspired them to come out aggressively and vote on November 5th. The lesson that I learned decades ago is that the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world. Wouldn’t it be fun to teach Donald Trump that lesson?