At .. for good, we believe the most powerful insights often come from people with lived experience. That’s why we’re proud to highlight research that not only explores the lives of marginalised women- but is co-created by someone who’s walked in their shoes.

Places on Probation is a deeply personal and thoughtful piece of research that examines the experiences of women under community punishment, such as probation. But it’s not just about the participants. The researcher shares her own background as a woman with lived experience of the criminal justice system, offering a rare and honest account of how biography, emotion, and identity shape the research process itself.

What Was the Research About?

This project set out to explore how women who have been criminalised navigate punishment within the community. These are women whose lives are often marked by trauma, poverty, and systemic disadvantage – yet their stories are rarely told in their own words.

Rather than a traditional top-down study, this work embraced Participatory Action Research (PAR). That means the women involved helped shape the research at every stage – from the questions asked to how the findings were shared. The goal wasn’t just to study women’s experiences but to create space for those experiences to inform real change.

What makes this project especially unique is its auto-ethnographic approach. The researcher didn’t try to stay detached or “neutral.” Instead, she reflected on how her own history of criminalisation and desistance, her journey away from crime, intersected with the women she was working alongside.

How Was It Done?

The study took place in two settings in the North-West of England: a peer mentoring programme and a women’s centre. Women participating in the research were either currently on probation or had recently completed community sentences.

At first, the researcher intended to keep her past private, hoping to let the women’s stories take centre stage. But reality had other plans. Once her criminal background was acknowledged – often before she had a chance to introduce herself- it became clear that her biography wasn’t a barrier. It was a bridge.

This led to moments of deep trust and emotional honesty – what the researcher calls “emotional moments”. These were the points where shared experience sparked connection, and where difficult truths could be explored without judgement. The researcher’s story, once cautiously hidden, became a source of credibility and solidarity.

What Did the Research Find?

The key insight from this study is that emotion and identity are not side-notes in research – they’re central to it.

• Shared identity between researcher and participants opened doors. Women were more willing to engage, reflect and take ownership of the research process.

• However, similarity wasn’t always enough. The women still needed to explore how the researcher was “like them”- from past offences to where she grew up. This process of “qualifying” each other helped establish mutual understanding and respect.

• Many women struggled to talk about the future. Their focus was on past experiences – often because current realities were too painful, and the future felt out of reach. This resonates with the researcher’s own memories of life under supervision, where hope can feel like a luxury.

• The project also showed that emotion is a form of knowledge. The feelings shared in the room – pain, shame, pride, resilience – offered a richer understanding than words alone could express. Through “thick description,” the researcher captured not just what was said, but what was felt.

Ultimately, this research demonstrated that punishment doesn’t just happen in courts or prisons. It plays out in daily life – in conversations, in memories, in the way women are seen and see themselves.

Why It Matters

This study makes an important contribution to feminist and participatory criminology. It challenges the idea that researchers must be detached to be credible. It shows that reflexivity, being open about who you are and where you come from, can lead to more authentic and impactful research.

For .. for good, this work reflects the values we hold dear. We know that criminal justice systems often silence the very people most affected by them. This research flips that script. It centres the voices of women with lived experience, not as subjects, but as experts.

It also reminds us of the power of vulnerability. By sharing her own story, the researcher didn’t just collect data—she co-created knowledge, built trust, and modelled a different way of doing research. One that’s emotional, relational, and rooted in care.

Conclusion

Research like Places on Probation invites us to rethink what counts as evidence, and who gets to produce it. It shows that community-led, emotionally honest inquiry can yield insights that are both academically rigorous and deeply human.

As we continue to support work that elevates lived experience, this study stands as a powerful example of what’s possible when people with shared histories come together – not just to study the system, but to change it.

At Just for Good, we are experts in transitioning lived experience in to impactful story telling that evokes change. This can be used to help research data collection, help tell founders and organisations tell their origin story – to connect with the people they care about, and supercharge your campaigns. Talk to us about how we can help tell your story.