IN-CJ Newsdesk 2025 – Chelsey Narvey ‘Perspectives on Correctional Practice’
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Chelsey Narvey’s contribution to this year’s IN-CJ Newsdesk offers a clear and engaging look at the realities of studying and teaching criminal justice from a uniquely situated campus in Texas. Working at Sam Houston State University, Chelsey describes how her teaching and research are shaped by the proximity of the state’s prison system and the long-standing relationship between the university and the Huntsville community. Her work in corrections, criminology, and the study of psychopathy draws directly on practice-based knowledge, supported by regular visits to prisons and conversations with both officers and people who are incarcerated.
Chelsey explains that her recent research has taken her and her colleagues across several U.S. states to gather hundreds of interviews with incarcerated people and correctional officers. This large-scale work is generating new insights into issues such as medical neglect in prisons and the ways individuals cope with imprisonment. These findings enrich her teaching, helping students move beyond common assumptions and develop a more grounded understanding of contemporary correctional practice.
Her role as a Canadian scholar working in Texas adds another important dimension. Chelsey highlights how national and regional differences in ideology profoundly shape criminal justice policy and everyday practice. She reflects on contrasts in punishment rationales, the presence or absence of the death penalty, and divergent attitudes toward harm reduction in prisons. These comparisons offer valuable reminders of how international perspectives challenge settled assumptions and open space for more reflective conversations about the values that underpin criminal justice systems.
Chelsey also spoke about the experience of returning to academic life after becoming a parent, and the process of re-establishing a sustainable rhythm for teaching and research. She describes how being back in the classroom provided renewed focus and how balancing new responsibilities has reshaped her sense of time and priorities. Her reflections are a reminder that academic work is always entwined with personal experience and that the process of returning can itself bring new insight.
As she reconnects with the IN-CJ network, Chelsey emphasises the value of international collaboration and shared learning. The Newsdesk provides space for contributors to compare practice, explore new research, and build connections that support more informed and responsive approaches to criminal justice. Chelsey’s contribution highlights the importance of these exchanges and the benefits that come from listening to perspectives shaped by different histories, policies, and professional environments.
Her discussion offers a thoughtful example of how teaching, research, and international engagement can work together to deepen understanding. It also reflects the wider purpose of the Newsdesk: to connect people across systems and borders, and to create opportunities for meaningful dialogue about the challenges and possibilities of contemporary criminal justice.
