Rate My Professor William Wood

Dr. William Wood is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Griffith University, part of the Arts, Education and Law Group. He earned a PhD in Sociology from Boston College in 2007 and a Master of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary. Wood's research centers on restorative justice, youth justice, punishment and corrections, recidivism, incarceration, trauma among young offenders, and crime and media. His scholarship critically assesses the implementation, accountability, and effectiveness of restorative justice in youth and adult criminal justice contexts, including challenges related to gendered violence, Indigenous justice practices, and Eurocentric frameworks in Australia and New Zealand.

Key publications by Wood include 'Why Restorative Justice Will Not Reduce Incarceration' (British Journal of Criminology, 2015), 'Four Challenges in the Future of Restorative Justice' (Victims & Offenders, 2016; 186 citations), 'Is Restorative Justice Conferencing Appropriate for Youth Offenders?' (2018; 81 citations), 'Does Restorative Justice Reduce Recidivism? Assessing Evidence and Claims about Restorative Justice and Reoffending' (2018; 65 citations), 'Restorative Justice and Trauma: Responding to the Needs and Misdeeds of Young People with Trauma Histories' (2023), 'Tomboys' Pathways to Prison in Thailand: Insubordination, Support, Sacrifice, and Suffering' (2024), and 'Restorative Justice on Stolen Ground: Dispossession, Entrenchment, and Eurocentric Justice in Australia and New Zealand' (2025). With over 50 research outputs accumulating more than 500 citations, his work has shaped academic and policy debates on evidence-based criminal justice reforms internationally. Wood serves on Griffith University's Human Research Ethics Committee, contributes to the editorial team of Victims & Offenders, and teaches courses including Restorative Justice Practices (3022CCJ) and Social Problems - (In)Equality and (In)Justice (1008CCJ). He also supervises higher degree by research students and engages in professional activities advancing criminological theory and practice.