Kim Thomas is a criminologist and legal researcher currently completing a PhD in Criminology at KU Leuven. Her research focuses on restorative justice, organised crime, and gang dynamics in South Africa. Prior to beginning her doctoral research, Kim worked as an analyst with the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime, where she conducted research on gangs, criminal governance, and targeted violence across southern Africa. She also previously worked as a research assistant at the University of Cape Town’s Centre of Criminology and practiced as an attorney in South Africa.

Her PhD research examines restorative justice programmes operating within Cape Town’s Correctional Centres, with a particular focus on how “restoration” is understood and experienced by incarcerated participants, victims, and their communities of care. The research considers these experiences within prison environments where gang structures and criminal governance often shape social relations. Through interviews with practitioners, programme participants, and their communities of care, as well as participant observation of restorative justice programmes, her research explores how restorative processes are negotiated in these complex contexts and what restoration means in practice for those directly affected.

The Balzan PhD Fellowship will support the next phase of this research by helping to cover fieldwork costs, including travel to correctional centres and translation services. These resources will allow interviews to be conducted across multiple South African languages, enabling participants to speak in their preferred language and ensuring that the nuances of their experiences are accurately captured.