The 2022 - 2024 RJRC Fellowship will support a collaborative cohort of U.S. scholars who serve as thought leaders and help to shape the research agenda initiative of the RJRC. Fellows will contribute to the aims of the RJRC through a two-year “think-tank” designed to explore foundational questions, build community, and advance the field of restorative justice research.

 

The inaugural cohort of Fellows will examine restorative justice approaches in the context of the US criminal legal system. Drawing on experiences, community input, published literature, and lessons from other fields, the Fellows aim to support the identification of emergent patterns, strengths, and needs in the field of restorative justice research. Each fellow is expected to have a strong collaboration with community practitioners and/or those with lived experience who will play a key role as advisors and contributors specific to current and future research needs. The RJRC Fellowship aims to contribute to the advancement of restorative justice research while intentionally supporting the diversity of voices, perspectives, and models of inquiry. 

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In the first year of the program, Fellows will engage in a series of round-table discussions focused on an in-depth exploration of topics relevant to restorative justice research efforts: What was researched?  Why was the research conducted? What was the social and political context for the research? How was the research conducted?  What are the gaps and opportunities for the field?  Fellows will be expected to engage with their local community practitioners prior to joining the round-table discussions. All round-table sessions will be summarized on a public blog post for broader community input and reflection.

In June 2023, the RJRC will host a community gathering where Fellows will join other members of the community including community scholars and student participants for a 2-day retreat in Burlington VT. During the retreat the community will reflect on shared learnings in order to contribute to identifying the themes and priority areas for a shared Research Agenda.  
 

In the second year of the program, Fellows will continue with 4 additional round-table discussions following a similar process as outlined in the first-half of the program. The focus and content of the year 2 round-table sessions will be driven by the Research Agenda developed during the June 2023 retreat.
 

Collaboration, management, and support for the Fellowship Program will be provided by the RJRC steering committee and postdoctoral associate.