ASC Division on Corrections and Sentencing Call for Abstracts, DCS Handbook Volume 10
“Lessons from Lived Experience”

We invite abstracts for the tenth edition of DCS’s Handbook series, entitled Lessons from Lived Experience, edited by Christopher Dum, Jamie Fader, Thomas LeBel, and Kevin Wright. The volume is designed to include a diverse set of scholarly essays on the imaginative potential of corrections and sentencing research/practice that centers the lived experience of the criminal legal system.

The Editors define “lived experience” broadly, encompassing the subjective ways in which corrections and sentencing directly or indirectly affect a person’s daily life. While we encourage a diverse and expansive conceptualization of lived experience, all submissions should include lived experience either directly or indirectly incorporated into knowledge production itself. For example, people with lived experience can be directly involved in writing or conducting the research or they could be indirectly involved where the submission is about a program that includes people with lived experience in its operations (e.g., credible messengers). Although valuable, we would not consider a traditional quantitative or qualitative study on a confined sample to represent lived experience, for example. We understand this may create ambiguity and we strongly encourage you to reach out to any of the Editors to discuss your ideas in advance to see if they fit within the call.

We seek contributions that bring unique perspectives of lived experience to topics in corrections and sentencing. We welcome submissions from quantitative, qualitative, multi- methods, policy-analytic, and theoretical/conceptual perspectives. International and/or comparative angles are also encouraged. We strongly encourage authorship to include people with lived experience, broadly defined, but this is not a necessary requirement.

We will accept contributions in three formats:

  1. Reflection essays on what lived experience means (~1250 words; 5 pages). One of the challenges in the field is defining “lived experience.” We envision the first section of the handbook to put forth perspectives on what lived experience means and entails. Therefore, we seek essays from scholars, practitioners, people who are system-impacted, survivors, community organization members, that address the conceptualization of the idea of lived experience, and address why and how the inclusion of lived experience is important for advancement of corrections and sentencing scholarship.
  2. State of the knowledge/literature reviews on topics related to lived experience (~2,500 words; 10 pages). We envision this second section of the handbook to highlight existing scholarship and identify future directions in this area, such as: what makes a messenger credible, participatory action research in corrections and sentencing, the history of lived experience (including earlier iterations), etc.
  3. More traditional structured entries, which may or may not be empirically based, on issues related to lived experience (~5,000-6,250 words; 20-25 pages). This section of the handbook will include a wide range of topics and perspectives. For example, pieces may discuss corrections and sentencing practices that revolutionize existing approaches by focusing on the experiences of those involved, rather than specific outcomes. Where appropriate, essays should elaborate on the program, policy, and research implications illuminated by the integration of lived experience perspectives.

Potential topics for formats 2-3 could include (but are not limited to): reentry, peer support, peer-led interventions, becoming a professional ex- (having a career that involves working in the CJS and/or with system-impacted individuals), overcoming so-called collateral consequences of having a felony record, advocacy/activism to change laws and policies, desistance from crime, expungement or pardons, wrongful convictions, experiences involving plea bargaining and alternatives to incarceration programs; experiences involving pre-trial services; probation/parole supervision experiences, and a focus on understudied populations.

Unfortunately, we cannot accept autobiography/memoirs, artwork, creative writing, or poetry.

Please submit abstracts and/or questions about Volume 10 submissions to Christopher Dum (cdum@kent.edu), Jamie Fader (jfader@temple.edu), Thomas LeBel (lebel@uwm.edu), or Kevin Wright (kevinwright@asu.edu). For consideration, please submit your abstract, proposed title, and author information no later than February 16, 2024. If selected for inclusion in this volume, full manuscripts will carry a deadline of July 15, 2024. The target date for Volume 10’s publication is early 2025.

All content must be original and not previously published. This means refraining from using tables and figures that you have not created yourself for this project, or including lengthy quotations that would require permission. Fully cite all original sources. Formatting must be in APA 7 (or the most recent version) and person-first language is strongly encouraged.

Photo Credit: M. Shiva