B. arneson
B. Arneson is an organizer and doctoral researcher in
Human Geography at the University of Edinburgh. Her research focuses on how formerly incarcerated men care for one another in Boston, Massachusetts. Previously, she served as Program Director at the World Peace Foundation (WPF) at Tufts University, where she led research on mass incarceration and the global arms trade. She continues to collaborate with WPF and Colby College on a project examining the criminalization of care. Her forthcoming book chapter, developed through this collaboration, grapples with the complexities of caring for a brother who has caused serious harm.
“Imagine being asked to speak about one of the most traumatic experiences of your life by someone you barely know and with whom you have no real connection...
It feels uncomfortable, and potentially even harmful. Yet, within many academic and research settings, this approach is often normalized. This traditional model often prioritizes the researcher’s goals over the well-being and autonomy of individuals involved. In contrast, restorative justice (RJ) methodology offers a different approach. Rather than treating participants as sources of data, RJ methodology emphasizes practices such as grounding (e.g., taking deep breaths together), building trust, and creating safe spaces where people feel genuinely seen and heard. Rooted in values of relational accountability and healing, this methodology encourages researchers to move away from extractive models and toward ones that prioritize care, consent, and reciprocity. For me, restorative justice has transformed my approach to research, shifting my role from data collector to collaborative partner. This involves engaging in shared inquiry with individuals impacted by the carceral system and fostering liberatory forms of knowledge production.”