Reflexive Challenges in Community Engaged Research in a County Jail

Abstract

As local, participatory research becomes more common, the logistics of conducting such research continues to challenge anthropologists' and other researchers' traditional sense of disconnection from research participants. Using interviews with the researchers involved in a study conducted in a local county jail, we consider major barriers to conducting research with incarcerated individuals. Challenges stemmed from concerns about getting to know inmates at the local jail in a small community, as well as frustration with navigating a highly structured and inherently unequal situation. This article will discuss our process, the challenges that have been experienced by others, new challenges we faced, and strategies we utilized to overcome those challenges. In addition, this article will address and explain the specific experience of the authors related to managing the research process, navigating the jail, and working within the established structures of a jail setting.