SWC News Center
A Decade of Second Chances: Celebrating Restorative Justice at Southwestern College
By: Stephanie Kingston - March 27, 2026
For a decade, Southwestern College’s Restorative Justice Program has been redefining what justice, education, and opportunity can look like inside prison walls and beyond.
Since launching in 2016, the program has served nearly 3,500 justice-impacted students across correctional facilities and classrooms in San Diego County, expanding access to higher education. Over time, what began as a focused educational initiative has grown into a sustained model of learning, opportunity, and transformation.
That evolution, according to Program Director Raquel Funches, reflects the deeper purpose behind the work. “What began as a vision has evolved into a powerful pathway that has shaped not only the lives of our students but also strengthened our campus community through a shared commitment to equity, access, and second chances,” she says.
For students like Shawn Khalifa, that impact is deeply personal.
Khalifa began taking classes with Southwestern College while incarcerated in 2017, becoming one of the program’s earliest students. After serving more than 15 years in prison, he was released in 2020 earning his associate degree in Sociology. He went on to complete a bachelor’s degree at UC Irvine and most recently earned a master’s degree in Restorative Justice from the University of San Diego. Today, he serves as a Program Coordinator for Underground Scholars at UC San Diego supporting other directly justice-impacted students.
Stories like Khalifa’s are at the heart of the program’s success.
That work exists within a much larger reality.
Across the United States, more than two million people are incarcerated, including roughly 90,000 in California alone. About 95 percent will eventually return to their communities after prison. Yet without access to education and support, many face significant barriers to rebuilding their lives.
The financial stakes are also high. In California, the annual cost of incarcerating a single individual can exceed $130,000. At the same time, the state’s three-year recidivism rate hovers around 39 percent meaning many individuals cycle back into the system after release.
But Funches points to research which has consistently shown that education can disrupt this cycle. Individuals who participate in higher educational programs while incarcerated are significantly less likely to reoffend, with some studies pointing to reductions in recidivism of more than 40 percent.
It is within this evolving landscape that Southwestern College’s Restorative Justice Program has emerged as a powerful local model for change.
The program reaches students across multiple correctional settings, including Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility, East Mesa Reentry Facility, and East Mesa Juvenile Detention Facility. It also provides critical support for students transitioning back into campus life after incarceration.
And its results are striking.
Among currently incarcerated students, Restorative Justice boasts a 94% completion rate. More than 350 Associate degrees have been awarded across a wide range of disciplines from Sociology and Psychology to Business Administration and Public Policy. Students have also earned certificates in fields such as American Sign Language, Business Management, and Real Estate. These numbers reflect more than academic achievement, they represent persistence.
For faculty teaching inside correctional facilities through the Restorative Justice Program the experience has been deeply transformative. “I’ve been teaching psychology at Donovan for nine years, covering General, Social, and Abnormal Psychology in the classroom and online,” says adjunct instructor Stephanie Hall.“To me, it is a treat for an instructor to work with students who are so motivated and engaged. I’ve found the students truly show up by diving into discussions, keep up with the reading, and have a real desire to learn.”
Over nearly a decade, Hall has witnessed the long-term impact of that commitment. “I’ve watched students earn associate degrees, bachelor’s degrees, and go on to pursue other academic goals,” she says. “These are admirable accomplishments, and I’m thankful to be a part of.”
Instructor of Behavioural Sciences Christopher Conner agrees. Conner has also been with the program since 2018 and considers himself fortunate to teach these students. “Many of the students in my classes at Donovan, for one reason or another, had difficulties in their childhood school lives. My role is to prove to them they can achieve in ways they never before thought possible. They almost always end up doing well. My stats students can't believe this is the same class I teach on the outside, but they get a kick out of hearing that they often out-perform traditional students.”
For many students, the program is a gateway to bigger goals.
Since 2019, an average of at least 25 students per year have transferred from Donovan to the University of California, Irvine, where they pursue bachelor’s degrees in Sociology. This steady pipeline highlights a growing culture of academic ambition. Yet the journey is not always as seamless after release.
Formerly incarcerated students often face significant barriers such as housing instability, employment challenges, transportation, and family responsibilities that can make continuing their education difficult. These realities contribute to lower transfer rates despite strong academic performance.
Even so, individual success stories underscore what’s possible.
Jairo, another Southwestern College alumnus, began his education while incarcerated in 2021. Following his release in 2024, he transferred to San Diego State University just two weeks later after serving 25 years. Now pursuing his bachelor’s degree in Sociology, he is on track to graduate in 2026 and has already been accepted into a graduate program.
Stories like these illustrate the program’s deeper impact: not just academic success, but transformation.
The Restorative Justice Program is part of a broader shift in California’s correctional philosophy, one that increasingly prioritizes rehabilitation, education, and preparation for reentry.
“Our Restorative Justice Program has demonstrated that when we invest in people, especially those who have been historically excluded, we see extraordinary outcomes,” says Funches. “The success of our students reflects their resilience, determination, and commitment to building a different future.”
She emphasizes that the program’s impact reaches far beyond the classroom. “This work is not just about degrees or certificates, it’s about restoring opportunity, rebuilding identity, and creating pathways that once felt out of reach,” Funches says. “What’s incredibly powerful is that the impact doesn’t stop with our students. It ripples outward, strengthening families, reshaping communities, and redefining what justice and opportunity can look like.”
As the program enters its second decade, its goals are focused on growth and sustainability.
Plans are underway to expand degree and certificate offerings within correctional facilities, including new pathways like Alcohol and Other Drug Studies. These efforts aim to better align education with career opportunities and support long-term stability after release.
At the same time, program leaders are working to secure long-term institutional funding to ensure this program can continue to grow. For too long, efforts like this have relied heavily on short-term grants. Funches reports, “Institutionalizing the program would strengthen our capacity, expand our reach, and ensure this work continues for years to come.”
As Southwestern College celebrates this milestone, the Restorative Justice Program stands as a powerful example of what access to what higher education can achieve.
More than numbers, it is a story of second chances, of students who refuse to be defined by their past, and of a college that chooses to invest in their future.