Session: Anti-Carceral Approaches in Social Work Education: Exploring a Research Agenda to Support Transformation (Society for Social Work and Research 29th Annual Conference)

The intersecting crises of coronavirus, racism, and economic instability have compelled U.S. social work national organizations to initiate significant initiatives to advance antiracism in social work. This transformation is reinforced by directives from the Council on Social Work Education that mandate the incorporation of frameworks dedicated to dismantling racism in curriculums. Anti-racist education should integrate anti-carceral content with abolitionist, critical, and engaged pedagogies (Author, 2022). Therefore, the focus of this symposium aligns with the discipline's intensified focus on antiracism. With true liberation from racism and other intersecting structures of domination as the ultimate goal, we utilize insights from critical pedagogy, abolition feminism, and abolitionist activism to evaluate pedagogical strategies and promote an anti-carceral vision of social work.

This symposium explores the "Strengthening Social Impact through Collaborative Research" theme by presenting three exploratory studies that examine the feasibility and acceptability of abolitionist pedagogies and strategies in social work. These studies also highlight the importance of collaborations with impacted individuals, community practitioners, and scholars from diverse disciplines to address gaps in social work education resulting from the professionalization process within neoliberal academic settings.

Each presentation offers promising findings that set a foundation for a broader research agenda in social work education. The first study evaluates a semester-long course that integrates abolitionist practices into social work education. Utilizing various media and guest lectures, the course engages students deeply with abolitionist theories and their application in practice. Feedback indicates strong student engagement and a preference for in-person learning, underscoring the effectiveness and acceptability of this pedagogical model. The second study employs the framework of critical geographer Ruth Wilson Gilmore to conduct place-based case studies. This method exposes and challenges carceral logic within students' immediate environments and broader societal structures. The findings highlight the method's effectiveness in enhancing students' critical thinking and understanding of abolitionist concepts, demonstrating the pedagogical utility of critical geography in social work education. The third study describes a collaboration with a community-based organization to deliver restorative justice training. The evaluation of this effort shows high acceptance and enthusiasm among students, emphasizing the significant impact of community-engaged education on students' professional development toward empathetic and justice-oriented social work mezzo-level practices.

Following these presentations, the discussant will engage the presenters and participants in a dialogue exploring approaches to conducting empirical research to measure the impacts of pedagocial interventions consistent with the abolitionist political vision, along with identifying challenges and facilitators of integrating these approaches into existing social work curriculums. The goal is to collectively generate ideas for effective strategies and potential obstacles in conducting research that promotes abolitionist and antiracist education in social work.

In conclusion, these presentations provide an initial building block for developing a broader abolitionist research agenda in social work education. They also emphasize the feasibility and acceptability of abolitionist pedagogies and content among social work students. Finally, these exploratory studies provide initial evidence that focusing on abolition in social work education advances the field's commitment to antiracism and liberation for all people.