Simpson, Ella ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5561-4606 and Gardner, Amanda (2024) Chapter 9. Making the story count: an argument for the development of a narrative evaluation tool in the Arts in criminal justice sector. In: Gardner, Amanda and Caulfield, Laura, (eds.) Arts in Criminal Justice and Corrections: International Perspectives on Methods, Journeys, and Challenges. Routledge - Taylor and Francis Group, London; Milton Park, Oxon. ISBN 978-1032512976; 978-1003401582; 1032512970 (In Press)

PDF (Accepted book chapter) 47706_SIMPSON_Chapter_9_Making_the_story_count_An_argument_for_the_development_of_a_narrative_evaluation_tool_in_the_arts_in_criminal_justice_sector.pdf - Accepted Version Restricted to Repository staff only Download (286kB) | Request a copy

Abstract

At the centre of this chapter lies a particularly cruel irony: the more that creative writing practitioners working in prisons have attempted to demonstrate the value of their work, the less their voices have been heard. A focus on evaluation has often muted the authentic voices of creative practitioners. This chapter highlights an innovative research design that took stories and their authors seriously on their own terms. A creative data collection method allowed practitioners the freedom to express their journeys into prison as they chose, using an innovative storyboarding technique, while the commitment to rigour in the analysis of the resulting narratives led to the development of robust, participant-centred narratological tools. These methods, as much as possible, prioritise the practitioners’ story over the researcher’s interpretation and foreground the practitioner as author, protagonist and expert of their own narratives. Moving forwards, these methods will allow the authentic stories of both practitioners and prisoners to be told, leading to a better understanding of how the arts, and especially creative writing, can contribute to and catalyse the narratives of desistance.

Item Type:	Book Section
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Arts in prisons; Arts in corrections; creative methodology; narrative criminology; narratology
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology K Law > K Law (General) N Fine Arts > NX Arts in general
Faculty / School / Research Centre / Research Group:	Faculty of Liberal Arts & Sciences Faculty of Liberal Arts & Sciences > School of Law & Criminology (LAC)
Last Modified:	21 Oct 2024 09:27
URI:	http://gala.gre.ac.uk/id/eprint/47706

Actions (login required)

View Item

Downloads