About the Chapter:
This chapter describes one effort to connect the principles of restorative justice in genocidal contexts to mass incarceration in a criminology course. After learning these principles, students introduced them to formerly incarcerated women at Hour Children, an organization in New York City. The women then used these principles to articulate their experiences of offending―adopting a new understanding of harm and being harmed. The interactions between students and the women were recorded, and students’ written reflections revealed profound insights into the humanity of formerly incarcerated individuals, and the harm that can be perpetuated in and by the criminal justice system.
About the Author:
Rose Marie Äikäs, Ph.D., M.A., M.S.W. is an Associate Professor of Criminal Justice at Queensborough Community College, CUNY. Dr. Äikäs has taught at the University of Helsinki-School of Law, Smith College-Graduate School of Social Work, Rutgers University School of Criminal Justice and Social Work, and in a New York State correctional facility. Her courses include: Introduction to Criminal Justice; Criminality and Mental Illness; and Social Work Research Theory and Criminal Justice Policy Implications for Social Work Practice. Dr. Äikäs has international and domestic prison research experience, professional experience as a criminal justice and social work practitioner, and program development experience.
For additional online resources related to this chapter and the 2014-15 KHC-NEH Colloquium, "Testimony across the Disciplines: Cultural and Artistic Responses to Genocide," click here.