Researcher Positionality Statement

There are multiple reasons that I feel compelled to research recidivism rates and their relationship to rehabilitation in prison. The first and most powerful experience that comes to mind is my distant cousin's journey in and out of the prison system. I never knew much about the guy; I was young and my mom didn’t want me associated with that. I do, however, remember the time when he was released from prison and had nowhere to go so my family let him stay in our guest bedroom for the time being. He never found a job, he never got his own housing, instead, he left, went to the streets, and then ended up back in prison not long after. This happened to him several times, minus the living with my family aspect. He never had the opportunity to be rehabilitated and it showed; that he could not find his place back in society.

Researching this topic was also inspired by my love of true crime. I have spent a lot of time reading true crime books and watching documentaries, but the part that fascinates me most is the mind of the criminal. This is relevant because it has taught me so much in terms of the criminals explaining that life is easier inside prison than it is trying to go back into society. When they speak to the camera crew, they seem so defeated. As if they already know how hard it will be as soon as they walk out those doors. It’s become clear to me that they aren't getting rehabilitation and therefore are unprepared for life on the outside. That's such a crucial component to staying out of prison, and they’re missing that.

All of that being said, I have been able to assume that if these inmates were better prepared for the outside world there is a good chance they would be able to stay out of prison. A lot of the prison documentaries that I have watched highlight how brutal prison can be and how so many of them keep the inmates in their cells for a large majority of the day. I have always questioned what good that does for someone, as they always say, we focus more on punishment than on rehabilitation. From the documentaries I’ve watched and my personal experiences, this is absolutely true. This has inspired my goal which is to make people understand that rehabilitation practices and resources will greatly lower the rate of recidivism.

In my writing, I want to make sure that I don’t focus on the bad things that these criminals have done, as that’s not the point I want to make at all, rather I want to write about the good that could come if they were given proper resources. I also think it’s important to show an example of how well rehabilitation works as my main piece of evidence. For this example I will use Norway as they have the lowest percentage of recidivism globally. If I want change to come from my research, I must provide proof that rehabilitation works better than punishment.

The advantages that I have are that through the documentaries I’ve watched and the books I’ve read as well as the deep-diving I’ve done on my own I already have a good amount of knowledge on the prison system and its flaws. Because of the investment that I already have into the topic that I am researching, I do fear that my own opinions and knowledge will make my research become biased. I need to ensure that I find sources that don’t just back up the claims that I am making.