Description: This presentation explores the various perspectives of social workers on the criminal legal system. There are many avenues that social workers can take across several positionalities, from reformative and restorative to transformative and abolitionist. Although social workers do not align on their positionality, there is a general consensus that the criminal legal system is unjust and requires significant changes (Carrington, in progress). There are numerous opportunities to change social work practice and state and federal policies, including (but not limited to) increased accountability, diversion programs, decriminalizing cannabis and other substances, ending voter disenfranchisement, restorative practices, housing-first programs, and abolishing prisons. This presentation will first review Nicotera's (2019) seven tenets (“seven Es”) of social justice for the social work profession. Next, this presentation will discuss the various positionalities of social workers. Finally, this presentation will review current issues in the criminal legal system and initiatives that social workers can join that align with the seven Es.

Learning Objectives:

1. Understand how social justice tenets apply to the criminal legal system.
2. Determine your positionality on criminal legal issues and initiatives.
3. Identify at least one action to take that combats injustices in the criminal legal system.

Allison Carrington (she/they) is a PhD Candidate in Social Work, with a minor in College Teaching, at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). She earned an MSW degree from UIUC and previously earned a BS degree in Social Work and Psychology, with a minor in Spanish, from the University of Wisconsin- Whitewater. Allison has 5 years of post-MSW research experiences and 3 years of teaching and writing consulting experiences. Allison’s research interests include social work education, social justice theory, the criminal legal system, interdisciplinary/interprofessional collaboration, abolitionism, restorative justice, and transformative justice. Allison’s practice interests include trauma healing, motivational interviewing, narrative-based, and strengths-based interventions; 2SLGBTQIA+ and neurodivergent populations; and working with adolescents, emerging adults, and adults in outpatient sessions/programs.