Kennesaw State University assistant professor Oluwayomi Paseda is advocating for improved support systems to help individuals transition from incarceration back into society. Her work centers on the principles of Smart Decarceration, an approach that uses data and evidence-based practices to reduce prison populations while promoting public safety and addressing systemic inequalities.
Paseda explained her philosophy by saying, “We want to fire ourselves.” She added, “My focus is on reentry and reintegration into society. You’ve done the crime, you’ve done the time, and now it’s time to rejoin society. What are we doing to allow that to happen most effectively? What are the barriers to allowing that to happen? Are we kind to this population? What are we doing to make sure society works for this population? Those are the questions I seek to answer.”
She noted that while the criminal legal system claims rehabilitation as its mission, in practice it often emphasizes punishment. Smart decarceration aims not only at reducing incarceration rates but also at creating fairer outcomes for those affected by imprisonment.
Since joining Kennesaw State’s Department of Social Work and Human Services in 2024, Paseda has become a recognized expert in smart decarceration at a national level. She was recently selected for the Promote Smart Decarceration Futures Team under the Social Work Grand Challenges Futures Project—an initiative marking ten years of efforts by the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare (AASWSW) through its Grand Challenges for Social Work program. This selection comes with a $1,000 honorarium as part of her fellowship supporting early career faculty.
The Grand Challenges initiative seeks solutions for societal issues through interdisciplinary research spanning criminal justice, sociology, psychology, and related fields. Paseda has contributed conference presentations and publications within this framework; her recent work published in Feminist Criminology explores Black women’s experiences during reentry after incarceration—a project she began during her doctoral studies at the University of Georgia.
Paseda emphasized collaboration across campus disciplines such as political science, sociology, criminal justice, social work, public health, mental health, and disability studies. “There are different topics with public health, mental health, disability – all kinds of areas for people to get involved with,” she said. “It involves our student body too because students come from all walks of life including experience with the criminal legal system. So this touches on different areas of study and making connections between them.”
In addition to holding a doctorate degree and being a licensed clinical social worker focused on mental health within correctional settings, Paseda brings practical experience working directly with incarcerated individuals. The department is considering adding an undergraduate track in smart decarceration within human services programs; currently there is already a forensic social work course related to decarceration offered at the master’s level.
Department chair Denise Green praised Paseda’s contributions: “Her dedication to creating a more equitable and effective justice system is evident in both her academic work and her practical engagement with the community,” Green said. “An emerging and accomplished scholar, Dr. Paseda has shared her insights through a number of publications. Her research provides critical analysis of the systemic issues within the carceral system and proposes evidence-based solutions that prioritize human dignity and social well-being. These publications have significantly advanced our understanding of smart decarceration strategies.”
Looking ahead, Paseda sees decreasing stigma against formerly incarcerated people as key: “The fellowship I received is part of the Futures Project within the Grand Challenges for a good reason,” she said. “Smart decarceration is a forward-looking field but we’re also considering the future of social work itself.”
