ABSTRACT
Engaging with the voices of people who live and work in prisons and jails could include their perspective on what is “known” in correctional research. Theories, programs, and policies based on the evidence for what works to reduce recidivism could produce an artificial ceiling for the potential impact of our correctional system and, worse, could unintentionally produce harm to the people who live and work within it. Including people most impacted by the problem in developing solutions could bring together the inside knowledge of lived experience with the outside knowledge of what works to produce a more complete approach for corrections moving forward. I explore the possibility of improving the integration of lived experience with evidence-based corrections through a critical examination of the concept of risk in corrections. The current metric of system success is reduced recidivism as achieved through individual risk reduction. A reimagined definition of correctional success could be achieved by putting the people back in to leverage both research and experience. I end with a reflection on how my own professional lived experience has changed the way that I think about and approach my work as a scholar.
