Convict Criminology and the Struggle for Inclusion

Carceral Citizenship as Strength: Formerly Incarcerated Activists, Civic Engagement and Criminal Justice Transformation

“…This research tends “to gloss over the horrors of prison, inventing a sanitized presentation, without the smell of fear and noise of desperation known so well by the men and women that live in cages” (Richards 2013 : 377). Convict criminologists have produced numerous, wide-ranging publications that challenge status quo criminological theory, epistemology and evidence, especially those related to prisons (Jones et al 2009 ; Richards 2013 ; Ross and Richards 2003 ; Ross et al 2014 ; Tietjen 2019 ).…”

“…Yet, emotions do not necessarily invalidate this knowledge and can actually contribute nuanced contextualization (Jewkes 2012 ). As Newbold and colleagues ( 2014 : 441) argue, “[p]rovided it does not unrealistically skew the researcher’s perception or analysis, insider input may therefore be regarded as an essential thread in the tapestry of criminological inquiry.”…”

(Re)entry from the Bottom Up: Case Study of a Critical Approach to Assisting Women Coming Home from Prison

“…The analysis presented builds upon multiple critical, feminist and convict criminologist interventions well established in the literature: The relationship between discriminatory structures and imprisonment (Alexander 2010;Martin 2013;Nixon et al 2008) and the false assumption of prior integration contained in the concept of (re)entry (Bushway 2006); the reality of trauma as a defining aspect of criminalized women's lives and the role of imprisonment in reinforcing and exacerbating trauma (Richie 2012;Segrave and Carlton 2010); the importance of grounding (re)entry theory and practice within the gendered and raced socioeconomic contexts that shape the lived experiences of former prisoners (Eaton 1992;Maidment 2006;Reisig et al 2007); and the imperative to center the experiences and perspectives of people who are or have been imprisoned in public policy and scholarly debates (Grigsby 2012;Richards and Ross 2002), particularly those of women and people of color (Aresti and Darke 2016;Belknap 2016;Ross et al 2016). The data also contribute to recent critiques of individualized notions of (re)entry "success" (Carlton and Segrave 2015;Kellet and Willging 2011), by expanding conventional definitions to include qualitative and collective aspects of healing, empowerment and social transformation.…”

Getting a Second Chance with a University Education: Barriers & Opportunities

“…7 Next: Upon what basis am I able to make my claims? I am bringing to this discussion my close to 4 years as a practitioner in the field of corrections, the numerous conversations I have had with convicts, exconvicts, and correctional practitioners, my experiences mentoring many convicts and excons who are or were pursuing different academic degrees, my visits to jails and prisons both in the United States and elsewhere, and the scholarship I have engaged in, and the work I have done as a cofounder of the field of Convict Criminology (Ross and Richards 2003;Jones et al 2009;Newbold and Ross 2013;Ross et al 2016). 8 Additionally, in order to answer some of the questions asked and answered by this article, I informally surveyed my students to get a sense of what they believe are acceptable levels of support for excons who wish to earn an undergraduate education.…”