Congratulations to IIRP alum Katie Owens-Murphy and current student Thomas Levy, for successfully defending their theses in Summer 2025! The thesis option provides students with the opportunity to bridge scholarship and practice. Through an investigation into their specific area of interest, students truly dig into the uses and mechanisms of restorative justice and restorative practices in various contexts. Offering students a pathway to publication and growing their experience with research, thesis students are encouraged to explore the intricacies of the application of restorative practices, its influence on outcomes, and where pitfalls may appear.
Katie’s thesis, titled Restorative and Retributive Rhetoric in Louisiana’s Parole Hearings, investigates how candidate demographics and language used during parole hearings influence parole outcomes, and she identifies potential opportunities for restorative justice interventions during the parole process. Thomas’s thesis, titled “That's What They Pay You the Big Bucks For”: The Intersection of Administrative Discretion, Restorative Justice, and Zero Tolerance in a New York City Charter School explores how school administrators in a New York City charter school make disciplinary decisions in the context of zero-tolerance policies and emerging restorative justice approaches.
Dr. Fernanda Fonseca Rosenblatt, IIRP associate professor, thesis advisor, and book review editor for the International Journal of Justice, helped guide these students from ideation to defense and passionately described the thesis option. She says:
It gives students the structure, support, and framework they need to conduct original research that can genuinely expand the field. Many of our students are deeply embedded in practice and close to powerful data and lived realities that could significantly enrich the restorative movement worldwide. What I find particularly rewarding is how often students come in thinking they’re “just” practitioners — not researchers — and leave with the realization that not only can they do research, but their practitioner lens is essential. We need more pracademics doing rigorous, grounded work that speaks to both practice and theory. The thesis option also allows students to amplify their voices and experiences through something tangible and publishable — a contribution that goes beyond the IIRP classrooms and into the wider world, where others grappling with similar issues are eager to learn from their insights. And while it’s certainly a stepping stone for those considering a PhD, it doesn’t have to be. The careful collection and analysis of sound data — with solid support along the way — can immediately impact their work on the ground. That, to me, is what makes the thesis option such a worthwhile and transformative endeavor.
The efforts of our thesis students will serve as valued sources of reference for current and future researchers alike. To support the research initiatives of future thesis students, make a gift to our Endowment Fund. This fund ensures long-term financial stability, supporting scholarships, research, and program development. It helps advance the field of restorative practices and guarantees ongoing institutional growth.
