Conceptualizing Peer Support to Mitigate the Rural-Urban Divide

• In Event: Convict Criminology Panel #6: Emerging Research in Convict Criminology

Abstract

The rural-urban divide is an issue with a complicated history. There are rural areas with access to resources comparable to urban areas, so the divide is not always distinct. Poverty, lack of access to basic supports, and discrimination can exacerbate the divide. More research is required concerning all implications of the divide. Intersectionality is essential to comprehending these implications because the experiences of individuals with co-occurring disorders and criminal justice involvement vary by gender, race, and other factors. Along with intersectionality other barriers such as access to social supports, trauma and lack of opportunities have a significant impact. It is possible that rural inhabitants have less access to resources, social support, and trauma-informed care than their urban counterparts. They are also more susceptible to trauma and incarceration. There is limited research on the rural-urban divide, trauma, and co-occurring disorders among individuals with criminal justice involvement. However, the available research indicates that rural residents encounter unique barriers to care access, and that creative responses are required. One such response that could successfully mitigate and help address these barriers is lived experience peer support. Peer support is an empirical evidence-based practice that can aid in the recovery from trauma and the surmounting of the obstacles posed by intersectionality and the criminal justice system. This article will examine the conceptualization of peer support as a means of mitigating the rural-urban divide's effects on individuals battling intersectionality disparities, co-occurring disorders, trauma, and criminal justice system impacts.

Authors

• Helen Skipper, John Jay College of Criminal Justice

• Jennifer M. Ortiz, The College of New Jersey