Community Engaged Research and Higher Education in Prison

• In Event: Community Engaged Research on Crime and Justice

Abstract

Community engaged research (CER) provides scholars with opportunities to collaborate on research projects that are shaped by stakeholders that are often excluded from the research process. While CER can build relationships with community stakeholders, it also comes with questions. Higher education in prison (HEP) programs offer a compelling case from which to explore the strengths and challenges of CER. On one hand, CER can produce important data for program evaluation efforts that many HEP administrators are not well-equipped to collect, analyze, and report on their own. On the other hand, CER in the context of HEP programs also invites questions about who constitutes a community stakeholder? Recently, there have been growing efforts to include currently and formerly incarcerated students as a key stakeholder in CER. Including this group as authentic collaborators and research partners can improve HEP programs thereby harnessing the power of higher education. That said, there are clear constraints and complexities in collaborating with stakeholders that remain under criminal legal supervision and confinement. It is important for criminologists working with HEP programs to discuss ways to authentically include the perspectives of directly impacted students while honoring professional standards and norms of social science research.

Authors

• Darren Wheelock, Marquette University

• Robert Smith, Marquette University

• Talib Charriez, Marquette University