Assistant Professor Durrell M. Washington Sr. Receives SSWR Outstanding Social Work Doctoral Dissertation Award
Assistant Professor Durrell M. Washington Sr. received the 2026 Society for Social Work and Research (SSWR) Outstanding Social Work Doctoral Dissertation Award for his dissertation “Invisible Wounds and Sibling Dynamics: A Narrative Study Investigating the Influence of Juvenile Incarceration on Black Family Life.” In conferring the award, SSWR recognized the significance of the problem addressed, the rigor of Dr. Washington Sr.’s analysis, and the meaningful contribution his work makes to social work and social welfare knowledge.
Dr. Washington Sr.’s dissertation examines how juvenile incarceration shapes the emotional worlds, developmental trajectories, and long-term decision-making of non-incarcerated Black siblings. Drawing on 85 life-history interviews, he traces how siblings absorb trauma, renegotiate family roles, and form enduring perceptions of justice in response to a brother or sister’s incarceration. He pursued this work to illuminate an overlooked dimension of mass incarceration and to establish siblings as a critical population deserving recognition, support, and meaningful policy attention.
“It is an honor to win this dissertation award, and I am grateful that this recognition helps bring visibility to a group too often overlooked in conversations about incarceration—siblings,” said Dr. Washington Sr. “Their stories reveal the dangers of mass incarceration and its continued hold on our society. Through this work I hope you can all see how deeply confinement reshapes family life, emotional development, and trust in institutions, and I hope this work encourages research and policy that sees and supports these siblings and their families.”
The award will be presented to Dr. Washington Sr. at the upcoming SSWR annual conference in Washington, D.C.
