In a Spirit of Restoration: A Phenomenology of Nursing Practice and the Criminal Justice System

Conditions within jails and prisons are a public health crisis, necessitating critical reform measures. An innovative collaboration between a Midwestern College of Nursing and Cook County Department of Corrections provides students with the opportunity to develop health education for both those detained in the jail and the corrections officers. A phenomenological approach, recognizing the importance of intuitive and cognitive understanding, is offered as a framework for practice in complex environments. Principles of restorative justice provide a bridge between primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention and the nursing practice possible within these institutions of incarceration and the communities to which people return.