Applied Geonarratives: Arts-based Social Geography In Criminal Defense Mitigation

Keywords: bodymap, social geography, legal geography, arts-based, mitigation, geonarratives
Session Type: Virtual Paper Abstract
Day: Friday
Session Start / End Time: 2/25/2022 03:40 PM (Eastern Time (US & Canada)) - 2/25/2022 05:00 PM (Eastern Time (US & Canada))
Room: Virtual 72

Abstract

The goal of criminal defense mitigation in both capital (death penalty) and non-capital cases is to offer the client’s life story as justification for the most lenient sentencing available. Geographical context shows how clients’ lives are linked to larger social forces that help or hinder their decision-making. Geonarratives can tell life stories through the lens of social geography. This presentation demonstrates how geographers can use the arts-based method of bodymapping to create a three-part applied geonarrative that includes the client’s production of a bodymap, a report on the geographical factors related to U.S. Department of Justice risk/protective factors, and a video with the client explaining their bodymap. This type of geonarrative can help decision makers determine appropriate sentencing, thus offering more effective criminal defense mitigation.