Restorative Justice Program A Mind and Soul Without Bars

Its transformative potential

Abstract

This article represents a partial advancement of the doctoral thesis titled “Culture of Healing through Restorative Justice in Women Deprived of Liberty in the State of Nuevo León”, which analyzes, through a quantitative methodology, the effects of the program A Mind and a Soul Without Bars on the quality of life of incarcerated women, considering four variables: change of worldview, restoration of identity, relief of suffering, and development of virtues. This article specifically focuses on one of the study’s variables: restoration of identity, understood as a subjective process of reconstructing the self that contributes to emotional healing and social reintegration. Using a descriptive approach based on statistics derived from Likert-scale surveys applied to 120 women who participated in the program, the study identifies significant transformations in their self-perception and in dimensions such as self-esteem, responsibility, empathy, and understanding. The results show that participants largely reject negative traits such as confrontation or apathy, and report growth in positive values associated with personal identity. These findings support the conclusion that the restoration of identity is a key factor in the healing process, confirming the transformative potential of restorative justice in female prison settings.