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Walk a Mile in Someone Else's (Prison) Shoes
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Walking out of the doors to my building, I saw a pair of neatly discarded white shoes staring up at me. They were not just any shoes. As a researcher on the University of Alberta Prison Project (UAPP), they were easily recognizable to me as prison-issued footwear.
Just the day before, I was in a local jail interviewing incarcerated people as they were about to be released. As part of the UAPP’s Re-entry Study, we interview participants on the day of their release and follow-up with them for up to a year as they navigate life “on the outs.”
As researchers on the UAPP, we are given the privilege of listening to—and learning from—people’s stories. We hear stories about what landed someone behind bars. We hear about experiences of trauma, victimization, and offending. We hear of people's hopes on their day of release and, too often, we observe as their hopefulness diminishes over time. In essence, our work involves walking a mile in someone else’s shoes.
As you look at this image, I invite you to consider the person who walked in these shoes. Who might’ve they belonged to? Where is this person now? What is their story? I invite you to walk a mile in someone else’s prison shoes.
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- Date created
- 2024-06-01
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