Race and Correctional Systems: An Interview with Dr. Jason Williams

by Brad Forenza, MSW, PhD

     Hello and Happy Spring. 

     For the 2020-2021 academic year, I have been privileged to write this monthly column for The New Social Worker. My gratitude and thanks are extended to Linda Grobman and her readership for empowering these recurrent dialogs. This column began with a tried and trusted “bird's eye view” of one state department of human services, as described by a former commissioner under three gubernatorial administrations. Today, almost one year after the murder of George Floyd, we conclude with a topical conversation about race and correctional systems.

     It would be a disservice to talk about social policy in the absence of analyzing racial disparities among programs, services, and their effects on everyday people. Although racial disparities exist in most aspects of social policy, this month’s interview (our last) calls on Dr. Jason Williams (assistant professor at Montclair State University) to contextualize some of the ways in which our correctional system fares well, and some of the ways in which it could withstand some improvements. And, of course, the unique contributions of social workers are also discussed.

     Listen to the interview here:

     As this column and another academic year say “good-bye,” let us use spring and its implied renewals to reaffirm our commitments to each other, to our shared humanity, and to the pursuit of equitable conditions for all people. Thank you for reading.

Brad Forenza, MSW, PhD, is an associate professor at Montclair State University and a recognized scholar of social policy. His research foci pertain to youth development, primary prevention, and civic engagement. His academic career is accentuated by direct social work practice at youth and family development agencies, program evaluation for clients in the human services, and public policy analysis at the state and federal levels. He regularly publishes and presents his work in national and international forums. His original, public scholarship also extends to the organization of practice-oriented events and panels, the production of documentary film and a social welfare podcast, and the authorship of practitioner interviews and many policy speeches.