About CRPOI

Who We Are

The Centre for Research into the Processes, Outcomes, and Impacts of Incarceration (CRPOI) brings together a national interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral network of researchers, non governmental advocacy organizations, and experts with lived experience of incarceration into a connected research community to increase evidence about the impacts of incarceration in Canada on individuals, families, communities, and on society.

Our Approach

CRPOI promotes community engaged and participatory action research. We center meaningful engagement with impacted populations as a mechanism to deepen cultures of responsible research, while encouraging knowledge mobilization, especially working to ensure research informs policy and legislative change related to incarceration in Canada.

Advancing Culture Change in Research

In addition, CRPOI seeks to promote culture change in research.

Widespread stigmas, social and economic barriers prevent criminalized and incarcerated peoples from meaningfully participating in research that is being conducted about them. CRPOI is committed to encouraging community engaged and community driven research. We provide several leadership opportunities as a mechanism to support positive social engagement for criminalized peoples; this includes leadership through our Expert Advisor Roster, an amazing list of individuals who researchers and ngo’s can reach out to, to participate in research teams, and CRPOI’s National Steering Committee, which includes 8 individuals with lived experience of incarceration who provide thought leadership and direction for the Centre.

Driving Research That Informs Change

In Canada, there is a longstanding history of public and governmental discourses about crime that are rooted in fear, misinformation, stigma, and hyper-individualized focuses. There is very little research about the structural and social impacts of incarceration. CRPOI encourages research teams to adopt structural lenses, and to focus on research that helps Canadian policy makers to understand the impacts and outcomes of incarceration.

Mobilizing Research

Knowledge mobilization is at the center of our mandate.

While there is a plethora of important research being conducted across the country about the impacts of incarceration, this research often exists in silos from the populations who are impacted by it, and from advocacy organizations who need evidence to advance their goals.

What We Aim to Ensure

CRPOI seeks to ensure that:

1.) More research is conducted about incarceration in Canada

2.) Researchers and advocates are connected and mobilized in terms of what is being produced in the field

3.) Researchers and advocates are aware of government priorities related to law and policy direction about incarceration

4.) Research outputs make it to the attention of law and policy makers

Centering Impacted Populations

Our Commitment

CRPOI works to centre impacted populations, ensuring that people who have lived through incarceration are key in driving evidence about it.

We center lived experience in a number of manners.

National Expert Advisory Roster

CRPOI maintains a National Expert Advisory Roster. This roster is essentially a list of individuals with lived experience of criminalization, who bring expertise related to incarceration, community release, and Participatory Action Research.

Expert Advisors bring a range of individual interests, expertise and training, and are interested in supporting and advising research initiatives.

Researchers and advocacy groups who are members of CRPOI can see our full Expert Advisor Roster, and reach out directly to them to bring them into paid roles to support any and all aspects of research, from design and planning, through to study processes and knowledge sharing.

Driving Culture Change Through Leadership

  1. We want to disrupt research cultures about incarceration that contribute to the ongoing marginalization and social exclusion of impacted populations. To achieve this, we also have a National Steering Committee comprised of 8 individuals with lived experience of incarceration who will be available to:
  2. Provide guidance to researchers and advocates engaged in community engaged research when things may go wrong or be complicated
  3. Create resources and tools to promote best practices in meaningfully working with impacted populations in research
  4. Host virtual and in person events that advance CRPOI’s goals
  5. Provide thought leadership and direction for CRPOI