ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the efforts of prisoners to become citizens while in prison. There are a number of means of pursuing citizenship, including volunteering, peer support and participating in prisoner councils, as well as engagement in campaigns for voting rights and other rights in prison. The Prison Reform Trust Report, Barred Citizens, examined opportunities for prisoners to exercise responsibility and the involvement of prisoners in volunteering and active citizenship and found that the main means of involvement in decision making were prisoner councils and wing forums. Participation in prisoner councils can be seen as an important element of active citizenship, even if they do not have formal decision-making powers, unlike councils in some other states, such as Denmark and Canada. Giving prisoners a voice, prisoner councils improve the legitimacy of prison regimes and give prisoners experience of rudimentary political practice, which may ultimately contribute to their reintegration into society.
