Frontline Peer Updates | Issue 2025-01
Building a Community of Reflection, Learning, and Voice: Insights, Opportunities, and Community for Criminal Justice Practitioners, Students, and Service Users
Dear Peers,
Thank you for your interest in Frontline Peer. I value your trust and assure you that this newsletter will not overwhelm your inbox. Instead, it will serve as a thoughtful update on a project close to my heart—one designed to foster dialogue, reflection, and growth for students, practitioners, and those with lived experience in the justice system.
This initiative is distinct from my dissertation and other projects, like my personal newsletter Motion Mic. & Methods, which reflects on how and why I do what I do. Today, I’m excited to share more about the mission, opportunities, and community we’re building together.
Announcing FrontlinePeer.com
The Frontline Peer website is now live at FrontlinePeer.com!
On the site, you can:
Learn about the project’s mission and frameworks.
Subscribe to this newsletter for regular updates.
Access essays, resources, and stories.
Share your own experience.
This project is a social enterprise built to amplify voices of human beings within complex, sociotechnical systems to create opportunities for connection and organizational learning about criminal justice and public safety.
Opportunities for Engagement
Based on the interviews conducted so far, here’s how I’ve learned people may want to engage:
For Criminalized Individuals: Share your experiences and highlight your journey to help others learn how to navigate system complexities.
For Criminal Justice Students: Explore real-world insights into justice system operations, receive mentorship, and gain career advice and practical tools to navigate your professional path.
For Practitioners: Reflect on your experiences, share your expertise, and uncover the broader value and transferability of your skills to redefine your role and professional narrative.
Through open dialogue, shared stories become a form of organizational learning—a core principle of Frontline Peer. This platform fosters collaboration and understanding, encouraging participants to explore and create possibilities rather than adhering to rigid solutions.
Upcoming Features and Conversations
One highlight is an essay co-authored by Donald G. Evans, whose influential work in corrections, both in Canada and internationally, has shaped innovative thinking in the field. Together, we explore the dynamics of professional development, resilience, and the challenges of navigating complex systems.
This essay is part of a growing stockpile of compelling pieces featuring contributors who have shared their insights under our "You Say, Your Way" engagement policy. This approach ensures participants have full autonomy over how their stories are shared—whether publicly, confidentially, or anonymously.
If you’re interested in co-authoring an essay or contributing your perspective, consider booking a discovery call with me to discuss. Whether you’re comfortable being named or prefer anonymity, we’ll work together to find the best way to amplify your voice.
Stay tuned for exclusive access to these essays, available only to subscribers.
Understanding Negativity Bias
One of the key observations that underpins Frontline Peer is the impact of negativity bias—the tendency to focus disproportionately on failures or adverse outcomes while overlooking successes and strengths.
In the criminal justice context:
Practitioners: Often encounter individuals at their most vulnerable or when things go wrong. Over time, this creates an institutional lens that highlights failures and diminishes the visibility of positive outcomes.
Media and Public Perception: The narrative around criminal justice is frequently framed in negative terms, overshadowing the hard work, successes, and human stories on all sides of the system.
This creates a negativity cycle that can lead to ‘spiraling incivility’.
Why This Matters
Negativity bias perpetuates burnout, erodes morale, and fosters a one-dimensional understanding of justice work. It creates a culture where challenges are seen as insurmountable rather than as opportunities for reflection and learning.
For correctional workers, there is a tendency to see cases of re-offending rather than successes by those who have desisted from crime and moved on.
Frontline Peer seeks to counter this bias by creating a space to elevate stories of resilience, insight, and collaboration. Through collective reflection, we can better understand the human side of systems and recognize the dignity in all contributions.
Principles of High-Reliability Organizing
Inspired by research in safety science and high-reliability industries, Frontline Peer bridges the gap between criminal justice systems and learning cultures by incorporating the five principles of high-reliability organizing:
Preoccupation with Failure: Embracing challenges as opportunities to build resilience.
Reluctance to Simplify: Recognizing and respecting the complexity of sociotechnical systems.
Sensitivity to Operations: Staying attuned to the realities of daily experiences.
Commitment to Resilience: Growing and adapting through challenges.
Deference to Expertise: Elevating the lived experiences of those embedded in the system.
While the criminal justice system exemplifies the first principle well—preoccupation with failure—Frontline Peer fosters dialogue and exploration to integrate the remaining four principles, creating a more holistic and adaptive approach.
Learn more about how Frontline Peer applies these principles here.
Get in Touch!
Here’s how you can get involved:
Subscribe: Stay updated on essays, stories, and opportunities to connect.
Share Your Story: Whether confidential, anonymous, or public, your voice matters.
Spread the Word: Share this newsletter with friends, colleagues, and anyone who might find value in this initiative.
Book a Discovery Call: Let’s discuss how your experience or interests align with this mission.
A Final Note
This project is about compassionate curiosity and listening. It’s about recognizing the value of human experiences and creating opportunities for reflection, dialogue, and understanding.
If you have questions, concerns, or feedback, I encourage you to reach out. I also recommend adding this email to your safe sender list to ensure you don’t miss future updates.
Thank you for your interest, your courage, and your willingness to engage in this shared journey.
Your Peer,
Micheal P. Taylor
Founder, Frontline Peer
www.frontlinepeer.com