Date of Award

7-10-2002

Document Type

Open Access Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Social Work (MSW)

Department

Social Work

First Advisor

Rosemary Link, Ph.D.

Second Advisor

Lois Bosch, Ph.D.

Third Advisor

Kathryn Ringham, MSW

Abstract

There has been an increasing dissatisfaction with the current criminal justice system, and restorative justice with its ancient roots, has made its way into criminal justice in the past 20 years as a different way of thinking about crime. The Minnesota Department of Corrections established a Restorative Justice unit in 1994 as the first state in the nation. To adapt restorative justice in the prison system, a change in organizational culture is required, and it is important that managers and leaders understand and accept the principles. A questionnaire with closed and open-ended questions was sent to managers and leaders in three prisons in Minnesota. The purpose was to gather information about correctional managers' and leaders' perceptions of own knowledge, and acceptance of restorative justice; what barriers they view against change; and to asses to what degree they believe restorative justice is an appropriate future direction for the Department of Corrections. Findings indicated that the majority of managers and leaders understand the basic values and principles, and many believe it is an appropriate future direction. Other indications were that staff training is an important strategy for change, and that lack of funding, work-load and lack of knowledge among staff are barriers to change.

Identifier

SC 11.MSW.2002.Klausen.MS

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