We All Got A Story

Creating space for empathy through participatory action research

Abstract

This paper introduces the stories of individuals impacted by the criminal legal system, revealing a pattern amongst diverse voices. Our findings are based on research aimed to document the experiences of an urban midwestern community with over-prosecution and to identify potential prosecutorial reforms. Relying on a Participatory Action Research (PAR) framework, community researchers worked together to collect data first-hand among system-impacted individuals while respecting existing community relations. Although PAR allowed us to avoid some of the pitfalls of traditional research, we experienced much of our work as a balancing act between engaging the community on the one hand and respecting their boundaries and vulnerabilities on the other. As we reflect on these chal-lenges of our work, we offer a story-poem that combines different narratives into a cohesive statement about systemic oppression and societal neglect, thus both humanizing and empowering marginalized voices.