WASHINGTON — An innovative program inside the DC Jail encourages constructive disagreements. The new debate team is part of a national network of debaters doing time, but the incarcerated team is making history as the first co-ed team inside a jail.
Going head-to-head in a heated debate challenges your reasoning, reflexes, and research. But for Thursday’s policy debate, not only did the topic matter, but the context did also.
“Resolve: The United States should guarantee universal voting rights to all citizens regardless of whether they have committed a crime,” said debate moderator Daniel Throop Founder and Executive Director of the National Prison Debate League.
Seventeen residents of the DC Jail make up the Defense Coalition. The group is part of the National Prison Debate League and is its first co-ed team inside a jail where turnover rate is higher than those serving longer sentences in a prison.
Still, after 12 weeks of intense study and preparation, the Defense Coalition took on one of the area’s toughest debate teams from Georgetown University. The topic was universal voting rights and the Defense Coalition argued the affirmative, while the Georgetown Hoyas expressed the negative side.
“Democracy means that we allow everyone to have their say regardless of character,” said one member of the DC Jail team.
“To favor such action would trade the rights for the few for the rights of the many,” countered Georgetown’s debater.
“We were all blown away by their performance today,” said Georgetown sophomore Connelly Cowan. “Everyone on the team has been debating since we were in middle or high school and to know they just started debating a couple of months ago and to compete at such a high level is impressive. Oftentimes we are in rooms where people don’t have any connection to the issue, but to be here it gives us the perspective that these aren’t just issues for debate but are people’s real lives and they have a real and true meaningful impact.”
“The partners are dedicated to this process they come in day in and day out and they come in with open mindedness,” said Jacqueline Williams the Deputy Director for Program and Education at the DC Jail.
“I couldn’t be happier!” exclaimed one of their coaches, Jackson Erpenback, “they did an amazing job. The Georgetown team is great, they took this seriously and did their research so they brought their best debaters and I think we stood up against them.”
Corde Fitzhugh has been inside DC Jail for nine months. The former Mass Communications college major said he is working on his public speaking skill and while he debated with family in the past, this was his first professional debate.
“It will allow me to think more before I act,” said Fitzhugh, “I feel like it helps with team building, social skills, etc.”
“We’re learning valuable skills that will help us be great citizens,” said Shameka Hayes who also serves as ANC Commissioner 7F08 inside DC Jail. “We’re learning to debate in a positive way, without being too aggressive, and getting our point across. It’s good for me and the community.”
The Defense Coalition Team held its own but came up just shy of beating Georgetown who took the debate 3 to 2. The next debate inside the jail is scheduled in the fall.