Date of Award
2025
Degree Name
Leadership Studies
College
College of Education and Professional Development
Type of Degree
Ed.D.
Document Type
Dissertation
First Advisor
Dr. Barbara Nicholson
Second Advisor
Dr. Feon Smith
Third Advisor
Dr. Jennifer A. Schlosser
Abstract
The purpose of this case study is to provide direct insight into effective strategies for designing and implementing an in-prison restorative justice program. Mass incarceration remains a deeply entrenched characteristic of the U.S. criminal justice system, and prisons pose unique challenges to restorative practices, which literature on the subject often describe in general terms. By focusing on one organization successfully implementing in-prison restorative justice, the study aims at specifically illustrating how the prison system impedes attempts at providing restorative services and what practitioners might do to circumvent or otherwise mitigate those challenges. The study is guided by the following primary research questions: What components of restorative justice are most challenging for an in-prison RJ program? What institutional factors contribute to the difficulty of designing or maintaining an in-prison RJ program? What leadership strategies are effective for ensuring a genuinely restorative in-prison RJ program? The study answers these questions through the experiences of advocates and practitioners doing this work in the Northwestern region of the US.
Subject(s)
Educational leadership.
Criminology.
Restorative justice.
Prisons -- Rehabilitation.
Prisons -- Leadership.
Imprisonment.
Northwestern States.
Recommended Citation
Branch, Jonathan Paul, "Design and implementation of in-prison restorative justice programs: insights on leadership challenges" (2025). Theses, Dissertations and Capstones. 1962.
https://mds.marshall.edu/etd/1962
Included in
Criminology and Criminal Justice Commons, Educational Leadership Commons, Prison Education and Reentry Commons, Social Justice Commons
