How to Listen Through a Wall: Lessons From Conducting Participatory Action Research in an Urban Prison

This project sought to understand the present-day experiences of individuals housed in prisons by utilizing Participatory Action Research (PAR) methods that partnered a university research team with individuals incarcerated in an urban correctional facility. The team assessed perceptions of the curr...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Rell, Emalie (Author) ; O’Connell, Daniel (Author) ; Chambers, Darryl L. (Author) ; Visher, Christy A. (Author) ; Niness, Mackenzie (Author) ; Brakeley, Paige (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Published: 2024
In: Journal of contemporary criminal justice
Year: 2024, Volume: 40, Issue: 4, Pages: 601-618
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
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Keywords:
incarcerated
Innovation
street participatory action research
Description
Summary:This project sought to understand the present-day experiences of individuals housed in prisons by utilizing Participatory Action Research (PAR) methods that partnered a university research team with individuals incarcerated in an urban correctional facility. The team assessed perceptions of the current environment by surveying people incarcerated in an urban prison. This article discusses the role of PAR methodologies from project initiation to finalization, explicitly focusing on coordination with prison and Department of Correction (DOC) administrative leadership and the value of including incarcerated individuals on the research team for successful change. Throughout the process, the team identified areas for improvement and innovations to improve the prison environment. This article provides a road map, lessons learned from conducting PAR in prison environments, and the power of partnering researchers and members of the researched population on one collaborative research team.
ISSN:1552-5406
DOI:10.1177/10439862241272304