Berea Professor Named One of Four Recipients of the 2022-2024 Restorative Justice Research Community Fellows

Rochelle Arms Almengor, an assistant professor of Peace and Social Justice Studies at Berea College, has been named one of four recipients of the 2022-2024 Restorative Justice Research Community (RJRC) Fellowship.

As part of the RJRC, Arms Almengor will serve as a thought leader to help shape the development of a research agenda on restorative justice in the context of the U.S. criminal legal system. RJRC fellows are tasked with developing their ideas in collaboration with their extensive professional and practitioner networks. Arms Almengor brings to the fellowship more than two decades of work in restorative justice coupled with her research in critical reflective practice, restorative justice practices and action research.

“I’m both excited and humbled to be part of the inaugural group of RJRC fellows. Having the time and support to influence research directions in my field is a special opportunity. I’m grateful that the College supported my participation from the start and look forward to amplifying underrepresented voices in RJ work as we develop a national research agenda over the next two years.”

Prior to the RJRC fellowship, Arms Almengor convened several participatory action research groups with conflict and restorative justice specialists, authored a chapter in the groundbreaking book, “Colorizing Restorative Justice,” and organized initiatives to underscore the experience of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, people of color) practitioners facing the harmful legacies of settler-colonial attitudes and white supremacy within the field.

The mission of the RJRC is to support interdisciplinary research on restorative justice with a goal of improving outcomes and addressing inequities in the U.S. criminal legal system.

To learn more about the RJRC, visit https://www.rjresearch.org/.