Integration of individuals with lived experience to improve recruitment within criminal justice research: ‘experience as the best teacher’

Abstract

Research has documented numerous barriers to recruitment of marginalized individuals, including historic exploitation, distrust, and accessibility. Such challenges are commonly observed among racial minorities, unhoused individuals, and individuals with lower socioeconomic statuses. Public health researchers have led investigations on ways to engage hard-to-reach populations, but the nuances of recruiting such individuals within criminal justice research remain less explored – a crucial oversight given the prevalence of these populations within the criminal legal system. While literature has identified barriers unique to these distinct identities, it has not fully explored how intersectional identities may complicate these barriers. To bridge these critical gaps, the current paper addresses the challenges of recruiting individuals with multiple identities within the same study. We discuss how the proposed techniques for recruitment of these populations translate into criminal justice contexts, with particular attention to the ways individuals with lived experience enhance study design, recruitment, and overall integrity.