Barriers to Diversity in Higher Education: Standing at the Intersection of Identity and Convict Criminology - A Brief Exercise in Reflexivity

• In Event: Convict Criminology Panel #2: Feminist Convict Criminology for the Future

Abstract

Talks of diversity in higher education are all the buzz these days. Yet, barriers to higher education for marginalized populations continue to be perpetuated in academic halls. This paper provides a reflective analysis, told through the lens of intersectionality, and attentive to the influence of personal and social identity in the pathway leading to Convict Criminology. While Convict Criminology today represents a growingly diverse group of academics and scholars, students, faculty members, and practitioners, the work to increase diversity within academic spaces is a process that does not happen irrespective of historical and political implications of identity. In higher education, it is imperative that we examine barriers that deter marginalized groups from finding success within academic environments. This paper broadens discussions of social and personal identity, examines the importance of intersectional research within the field of convict criminology, and addresses barriers to diversity on the path to higher education.

Author

• J. Renee Trombley, Claflin University