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nineteen - Reflections on values and ethics in narrative inquiry with (ex-)offenders
- Edited by Malcolm Cowburn, Sheffield Hallam University, Marian Duggan, University of Kent, Anne Robinson, Sheffield Hallam University, Paul Senior, Sheffield Hallam University
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- Book:
- Values in Criminology and Community Justice
- Published by:
- Bristol University Press
- Published online:
- 03 February 2022
- Print publication:
- 18 September 2013, pp 329-342
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- Chapter
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Summary
Introduction
This chapter reflects upon value and ethical issues raised by narrative inquiry within criminological research, particularly in its use with vulnerable and marginalised populations, in this case, (ex-)offenders. Drawing upon experiences of undertaking two desistance-focused research projects, we explore the contours of debates around taking ‘sides’, sympathy, bias and values in narrative inquiry in this area, as well as the ethical issues relating to consent, ownership and interpretive authority raised by its use.
The field of narrative inquiry is complex and diverse. Researchers employ a number of different approaches, strategies and methods, which reflect subtle differences in ontological and epistemological understandings and assumptions about what is being studied (Clandinin, 2007). Notwithstanding, narrative inquiry is based on a number of central propositions: that people ascribe sense and meaning to their experiences and to their lives by grasping them as stories or narratives; that identity or the self is essentially a storied concept; and that people's stories therefore offer insights about their subjective experiences of the world and identities. Common threads in narrative inquiry thus include an interest in people's lived experiences, in the self and representations of the self, and change over time, as well as a desire to empower research participants to contribute to the most salient themes in the area of research (Elliot, 2005).
The fundamental ontological and epistemological differences between traditional ‘scientific’ research and narrative inquiry are summarised by Bruner (1986). What he terms the ‘logical scientific’ mode of research centres on the epistemological question of how to know the ‘truth’ and the search for a universal truth condition, whereas narrative inquiry looks for particular conditions and centres on the broader question of the meaning of experience. His summary highlights how traditional notions of objectivity, validity and supposed truth in research are arguably reframed in narrative inquiry. Such inquiry often explicitly attempts to engage with the researched, to reconstitute the research relationship and to view people's stories not as an accurate representation of the ‘truth’ of what really happened or as works of fiction, but as accounts of participants’ truth in the sense of how they interpret and attach meaning to their experiences and how they construct and reconstruct their identity. As highlighted by Somers (1994), narrative, with its association with the humanities and literary studies, has long been deemed the epistemological ‘other’ in the social sciences.
eighteen - Economic values and evidence: evaluating criminal justice policy
- Edited by Malcolm Cowburn, Sheffield Hallam University, Marian Duggan, University of Kent, Anne Robinson, Sheffield Hallam University, Paul Senior, Sheffield Hallam University
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- Book:
- Values in Criminology and Community Justice
- Published by:
- Bristol University Press
- Published online:
- 03 February 2022
- Print publication:
- 18 September 2013, pp 313-328
-
- Chapter
- Export citation
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Summary
Introduction
The UK government is committed to reducing the costs of criminal justice. Specifically they aim to:
Reform the sentencing framework so that it both punishes the guilty and rehabilitates offenders more effectively. These reforms will stem the unsustainable rise in the UK prison population. Proposals will be published in a Green Paper, and will include the use of tough community penalties where they are more effective than short prison sentences; using restorative justice; and paying private and voluntary providers by results for delivering reductions in reoffending. (HM Treasury, 2010, p 55)
This represents an explicit recognition of the budgetary and economic rationale of key criminal justice policy. It is, therefore, unsurprising that the skills and techniques from the discipline of economics have been increasingly used to address this challenge. At its core, economic theory seeks to determine the efficient application of resources to achieve a given goal. In other words, economics is a tool that is applied after the problem has been defined in a socio-political context. From this basic premise, the thrust of this chapter is to highlight the distinction between the morals and values of economics and the morals and values expressed in the way economics is used. Ultimately, we suggest that the choice of an economic approach is itself ideologically based. Notwithstanding, we conclude with a note of broad support for the use of economic evaluation in criminal justice policy – if thoughtfully and carefully applied.
The economic approach
The study of economics arises from the scarcity of resources (Robbins, 1945, p 15). Because resources are limited, it follows that we should use what is available to achieve the best effect. Thus, at its core, economic theory seeks simply to determine the efficient application of resources to achieve a given goal. There are two basic schools of thought within which the application of economic principles to policy decisions may be framed: normative and positivist (Keynes, 1891; Krauss, 2005).
The normative paradigm
Where the normative approach to economics is adopted, economic theory plays a dual role: both the validity of policy goals and the means by which these may be achieved are considered as part of the analysis. The ‘norms’ of society are both informed by and pursued through economic theory.