North Park Theological Seminary’s School of Restorative Arts (SRA), a program that offers a master’s degree to incarcerated students, is temporarily moving to Illinois River Correctional Center while the previous location, Stateville Correctional Center, is demolished and rebuilt.
Under the SRA program, free and incarcerated students work to earn degrees for ministries in contexts susceptible to violence. Coursework centers on trauma, race relations, nonviolent communication, and transformative justice, along with Bible, theology, and history classes.
Students who complete the four-year program receive a Master of Arts in Christian Ministry with a Restorative Arts concentration. Since its founding in 2015, SRA has granted degrees to men at Stateville Correctional Center, later expanding the program to include women at Logan Correctional Center.
“I’m grateful that most of our students who were inside Stateville are able to continue their education and their ministries at River Correctional Center,” said Seminary Dean and Vice President for Church Relations Dennis R. Edwards. “I’m proud of how our current students and alumni are adjusting to a different setting so far away from their families and support systems.”
Edwards said the warden and staff at Illinois River have warmly received the SRA participants and that the third cohort of students will graduate in spring 2025.
“We ask that you please join us in prayer for our students and alumni during this significant transition,” Edwards said. “We are grateful for your ongoing support as we work to maximize student well-being and continuity of learning.”