Applied geonarratives: Arts-based social geography in criminal defense mitigation

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 article demonstrates how social geographers can use the arts-based method of bodymapping to create an applied geonarrative that will help decision makers determine appropriate sentencing, thus offering more effective criminal defense mitigation.

Keywords

• Arts-based methods
• Bodymap
• Geonarratives
• Mitigation
• Social geography