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Author Bio

Dr. Karima Matar Almazroui is a visionary leader and scholar in higher education, policy reform, and institutional transformation, with over two decades of distinguished service in academia and government. She holds a Ph.D. in Language, Reading, and Culture from the University of Arizona, an M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Arkansas, a Master’s in Strategic Studies and National Security from the UAE National Defense College, and a B.A. in Arabic Language Education from the United Arab Emirates University. Currently serving as Advisor to the Chancellor at Mohamed bin Zayed University for Humanities, she has pioneered initiatives in quality assurance, institutional effectiveness, and international collaboration. Her prior leadership roles include Advisor to the Minister of Education, Executive Director at ADEK, and Chairwoman of Educators Without Borders in Geneva. Dr. Almazroui’s research encompasses educational policy, curriculum development, teacher training, language acquisition, and the integration of technology in learning.

Abstract

Over 1.4 million youth enter detention annually, confronting what scholars term a digital death sentence, exclusion from the literacies and infrastructures that underpin education, employment, and civic participation. This empirically grounded mixed-methods study investigates how artificial intelligence (AI) in carceral education either reinforces surveillance or enables rehabilitation, demonstrating that outcomes depend less on algorithmic sophistication than on the ethical, pedagogical, and governance contexts in which AI is deployed.

Drawing on comparative data from the United States, Japan, Norway, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the research integrates cross-national policy analysis, 78 semi-structured interviews, quantitative outcome measures, and participatory action research (PAR) pilots. Findings reveal stark contrasts: Norway’s E-Learn Justice program achieved a 22% reduction in youth recidivism through credential continuity and dignity-centered design, while U.S. facilities repurposed AI systems for behavioral monitoring, eroding trust and learning engagement. In Japan and the UAE, PAR cycles demonstrated that when youth co-designed educational technologies, the principles of agency, safety, and continuity, formalized here as the Digital Dignity Framework, fostered motivation, belonging, and reintegration readiness.

The study positions AI in juvenile justice not as a neutral innovation but rather as a human rights frontier. It advances the Digital Dignity Framework as both an analytical lens and a policy roadmap, illustrating how the ethical governance of digital learning environments can transform confinement from a site of exclusion into one of capacity building and civic reintegration.

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