2023 Down South Restorative Justice Conference

Restorative Justice in Carceral Settings

This workshop, framed as a talking circle, invites participants to consider how we might create space for restorative practices in carceral spaces at the post-conviction stage. Most restorative justice interventions within the U.S. criminal legal system are pre-trial diversion programs, but restorative practice work can also benefit those who have already been convicted and sentenced. We will consider the following questions:
  1. Does restorative justice necessarily require an “encounter” between those on either side of a harm or crime (traditionally labeled “offender” and “victim”)?
  2. What is the difference between restorative justice and restorative practices?
  3. How might restorative practices benefit incarcerated people outside of an encounter or conference?
  4. To what degree can restorative practices shift power within hierarchical and punitive settings (such as prison facilities)?
  5. To what degree can restorative practices address structural harm (such as mass incarceration)?
  6. What are the challenges and limitations of conducting restorative practices in carceral settings?
  7. What are the possibilities of conducting restorative practices in carceral settings?
Ashley Massey holds an MA in English Literature from the University of North Alabama. Her scholarly writing concerns Southern Gothic literature and Critical Prison studies. She currently teaches writing and literature classes in jails and prisons, including through UNA's Restorative Justice Lab. She is a cattle caretaker on her family’s farm in Middle Tennessee where she also designs her indie jewelry brand Flatwoods Fawn. She is the founder of Law Co Cycle Collective which provides free menstrual products to people in her hometown. Her creative writing concerns farm life, grief, and familial incarceration, which she explores in her recently released chapbook titled Keep the Gate Open.
Katie Owens-Murphy is Associate Professor of English, Coordinator for the MA English Program, PI for the Restorative Justice Lab at the University of North Alabama, and serves as the state coordinator for the Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program. She works with a faculty team to facilitate credit-bearing coursework in restorative justice at Limestone Correctional Facility, a maximum-security men's prison in Harvest, Alabama; she also offers virtual workshops at Tutwiler Women's Prison and the Montgomery Womens' Facility. Katie is finishing her Master's degree with the International Institute for Restorative Practices. Her work with people in prison has appeared in Mississippi Quarterly, Humanities, and the Chronicle of Higher Education. Her most recent book with Project Hope to Abolish the Death Penalty titled Ghosts Over the Boiler: Voices from Alabama's Death Row was published with Vanderbilt University Press in 2023.
Nadia Stewart is a native of Madison, AL. Currently, Nadia serves as the Graduate Assistant for the University of North Alabama's Restorative Justice Lab. In her position, Nadia creates supplemental materials for the Inside-Out program, provides one-on-one tutoring for students, attends weekly classes/study halls at Limestone Correctional Facility, and works with other higher education professionals through the Southern HEP Collective to provide advocacy and tools for incarcerated individuals. Academically, Nadia is pursuing a Master’s degree in business administration with a concentration in project management. Nadia plans to use her learned experiences from the Restorative Justice Lab and the business program to open a non-profit focused on formerly incarcerated individuals and their families to bridge the gap of recidivism.