Webinar - Correctional Social Work: Rehabilitation, Reintegration, and Restorative Justice

Overview:

Correctional social work, also known as prison social work, is a specialized field that supports the rehabilitation and reintegration of incarcerated individuals. This webinar explores the essential role of correctional social workers in helping inmates address underlying challenges such as mental health issues, substance use, and social disadvantage. Through assessments, individualized treatment planning, and reintegration support, social workers promote personal growth and reduce recidivism.

Special attention will be given to the restorative justice framework, which guides social workers in facilitating accountability, repairing harm, and fostering dialogue between offenders, victims, and communities. These practices are especially powerful in shifting the focus from punishment to healing and reintegration.

The webinar will also explore the distinct challenges and approaches involved in working with juvenile offenders. Correctional social workers in youth facilities focus heavily on developmental needs, trauma-informed care, education, and family reunification. They play a crucial role in preventing re-offending by supporting emotional growth, identity formation, and positive peer relationships.

We will conclude with an overview of training and licensing pathways, typically requiring a Master of Social Work (MSW) with specialization in clinical or forensic practice.

Learning objectives:

Following this webinar, you will have:

• An understanding of the core roles and responsibilities of correctional social workers within adult and juvenile correctional settings.
• Understand the process of assessment and individualized treatment planning for incarcerated individuals, including identification of mental health, substance use, and criminogenic needs.
• Be able to recognize the importance of reintegration services and how social workers facilitate access to community resources, vocational support, and family reintegration post-release.
• Understand the principles and application of restorative justice in correctional settings and how these approaches promote accountability, healing, and reintegration.
• Be able to differentiate the specific needs of juvenile offenders and outline the developmental, therapeutic, and rehabilitative interventions used in youth corrections.
• Be able to identify the educational qualifications and licensing requirements for practicing correctional or forensic social work.
• Be able to demonstrate an understanding of interdisciplinary collaboration and advocacy within the correctional system to uphold ethical practice and human rights.

The participants will be provided with a theoretical overview as well as study materials in the form of presentation slides, additional relevant literature and articles. Furthermore, participants participation will be encourage through discussions relating to personal experiences as well as case studies.