Mereps.foresee.hu

A prison-focused radicalisation prevention study by Foresee researcher, Gábor Héra is published

Mon, 09 Jul 2018 19:29:00 +0200

The strengthening of radicalization and extremism is a new international trend. Its prevention, the development and harmonization of relevant capabilities is in the interest of international and national communities. The so called „vulnerable” groups of societies, in particular persons with criminal record and imprisoned persons are especially susceptible to radicalization and constitute a relatively easy target group from the perspective of recruitment by extreme organizations.

Increase of radicalisation1 and extremism poses a new security challenge in Hungary, too. The extent and nature of this challenge, however, differs significantly from that faced by countries in Western Europe. Accordingly, the challenge of capacity building in terms of professional training to enhance prevention in Hungary is distinct from Western Europe. In spite of the different nature of threats and the lower level of risk posed by extremism in Hungary compared with Western Europe, the focus on prevention and skill development which took place in the framework of the project, as described in the present report, remains indispensable and has extraordinary importance.

The initiative titled “Prevention of radicalization in the prison-system” focused on a yet relatively unknown field, i.e. on improving the preventive skills of the staff working in Hungarian penal institutions. Exploring challenges related to radicalisation and identifying needs and demands arising in prevention and treatment were among the aims of the project.

The project was implemented by the Foundation for the International Prevention of Genocide and Mass Atrocities. Within the framework of the project that was supported by the European Union’s Internal Security Fund, we firstly assessed the skills that could be observed regarding the detection, prevention, and treatment of radicalization among the professional staff in five penal institutions. In the second stage, we provided training customized to local needs for the sake of developing these skills further. In the third stage, we conducted interviews known as “life story interviews” among the convicts on the assumption that coming to know the personal life stories can pave the way to a better understanding of the reasons behind radicalization. At the end of each of the three sections, observations are presented in the form of analyses.

All in all, we not only aimed at collecting information about radicalisation and extremism by research activities. Additionally, efforts were taken to improve skills required to recognise and prevent radicalisation through training activities also supporting and accelerating the reaction of staff. This experimental training and collection of information is extremely significant not only for the existing staff with meaningful professional know-how and experiences but also in terms of the planned increase and training of personnel by thousands of staff in the Hungarian Prison Service.

The present summary study provides an overview of the entire project, summarizes its main results and formulates recommendations. The results have been presented in the international conference organized in Budapest, 26 June, 2018.

The Summary Study can be downloaded here.

Restorative Justice Award 2018 received by the Foresee Research Group

Mon, 02 Jul 2018 18:10:00 +0200

Source: Laura Mirskly, IIRP eFORUM June 2018

The Foresee team are researchers and scientists who are also practitioners, trainers and activists. Their work across Hungary and Europe shows "an amazing high level of competence and quality," added Törzs.

When Fellegi founded Foresee In 2008, she brought together gifted professionals in social work, mediation, law and sociology to solve society's most pressing issues. These include school exclusion, criminality, victim trauma, and offender rehabilitation and reintegration. With the four "Cs": conflict, communication, cohesion and community, "we can 'Foresee' a better future," states Fellegi. She has dedicated 10 years to empowering people to tell their life histories, helping them talk through and heal their trauma and bridge differences.

This may be especially crucial in Fellegi's home county of Hungary. "We are a nation that has suffered serious trauma in the last centuries," she observes. "There is suppressed shame going back generations, and urgent need to help people talk and reflect."

This need informs Foresee's work with SOS Children's Villages for orphaned and abandoned children. The project has guided young people to address conflict in a more conscious way and develop life skills.

One teenaged Roma girl had been at SOS since she was an infant. Her behavior was violent and hostile. Being enabled to share her life history of parental neglect, her feelings of shame and self-regret helped her realize that her hostile behavior was hurting herself more than anyone else. Like other SOS children empowered to tell their stories, the girl learned to be more conscious and wise about her decisions. But Fellegi insists, "We learn as much from them as they learn from us."

"We need to ask, then shut up and listen," she asserts. "Children will recognize their own weaknesses and areas for development and make commitments. As adults we need to love, pay attention to what they are saying, and stop preaching to them."

A project to prevent radicalization among prison inmates sought to identify signs and avert processes that lead to it. Research in five Hungarian prisons showed that "radicalization is a process at the end of a scale of escalated conflict and hidden tensions," Fellegi explains. The Foresee team conducted "life-path" interviews with inmates to facilitate their rehabilitation and reintegration. "The only way to deradicalize is with a reconciliation process," Fellegi maintains. "It's the only way inmates might be able to understand the way out of criminality or hatred."

A four-year project brought restorative approaches to intercultural communities where Roma and non-Roma coexist. Fellegi was thrilled when village residents who had been trained "to talk and confront honestly and not swallow their different views" deeply absorbed what they had learned and spread it to surrounding communities.

Other projects have included a two-year initiative introducing peacemaking circles to address criminal, civil and community issues in European countries "with legal systems that are more rigid than those in the U.S .or the U.K.," reports Fellegi. From that project came Foresee's Peacemaking Circle Handbook.

On a macro level, Foresee projects address the current threat to democracy in Hungary and beyond, as well as the harm that results from people's inability to communicate.

Fellegi's mission and vision is to "give people courage to express how they feel and what they think. Then, we can sit down with each other, even with our disagreements." Her hopeful conclusion: "Each conversation, from one-on-one to society-level, can have its impact, and that can impact others."

Watch a video of Fellegi speaking about her work with Foresee Research Group.

Radicalisation-prevention in the prison context

Mon, 14 May 2018 19:32:00 +0200

Programme

The „Prevention of radicalization in the prison-system” is a 13-month initiative of the Budapest Centre for Mass Atrocities Prevention in collaboration with Hungarian experts and researchers. Funded by the Internal Security Fund of the European Union, it aims at contributing to the coordination and improvement of national and international capabilities of preventing and countering radicalization. To that end, it maps the capabilities of Hungarian prisons to recognize signs of radicalization, as well as to manage and prevent processes leading to radicalization. It provides trainings for prison personnel to further improve such capabilities and conducts so-called “life-path” interviews with prisoners to facilitate their rehabilitation and reintegration. The results of the project and its policy recommendations will be summarized in a report in Hungarian and English and presented at a conference in spring, 2018.

Context

Radicalization and extremism is increasingly prominent on the security agenda. It is of high priority for national and international stakeholders to improve relevant capabilities and coordinate efforts for preventing these negative trends.
Vulnerable social groups, in particular those with criminal records, are especially susceptible to radicalization and recruitment by extremist organizations. To prevent such negative trends, it is imperative to identify, monitor and evaluate risks on a continuous basis, engage with potentially vulnerable people in an adequate manner, facilitate the rehabilitation and reintegration of prisoners into society and design exit options from extremist movements for those that have already been recruited.
Radicalization and extremism is a new security challenge in Hungary. Therefore, the preparedness of prison personnel to respond to such challenges and the precise needs in terms of capability development are yet to be adequately explored. Although for successful preventive efforts it is imperative to identify and evaluate current needs, it is also important to develop innovative capabilities that can effectively deal with new challenges and to test the utility and efficacy of relevant training activities. By doing so, improvements in preventive capabilities can be accelerated and expanded.

Objectives and methodology

The main objective of the project is to improve and develop the capabilities of Hungarian prison personnel to prevent radicalization.
To that end, local needs and challenges will be explored through focus group interviews with prison personnel, the results of which will be presented at an international conference. Based on this acquired national and international experience, trainings will be designed for prison personnel. The 2+1-day-long trainings will enable the prison personnel to strengthen their capabilities for preventing radicalization. Through “life-path” interviews prisoners will have the opportunity to tell their life stories that contribute to the rehabilitation and reintegration of a wider range of prisoners. The results of the project will be summarized in a study in English and Hungarian and presented at a conference for national and international experts.

Source: http://www.genocideprevention.eu/projects/prisonproject/

Foresee's Mediation Modelprogram in the Rákospalota Correctional Institute and Special children Care Home of the Ministry of Human Resources

Sat, 04 Jul 2015 18:51:00 +0200

The Institute is special in the sense that it houses juveniles both in pre-trial detention and in correctional education. As a result, both the everyday relations and the institutional co-existence lead to different conflicts and different solutions in communication. Part of the institute staff has some degree of experience in mediation and restorative techniques, and they have tested these techniques in some form.

The Institute has 2-2 groups of detentionees and youngsters in correctional education, and 3 special childrencare home groups, consisting on average of 8 people per group. The teachers, psychologists, and supervisors working with these children were the participants of the of the half-year-long training programme.

The first step of the programme was about surveying the needs of the participants. A plan was set up taking into account everyone's possible involvment in the programme, the experience of the participants, aiming for the most effective execution of the programme. Focus groups were set up in this phase, and sensitizing trainings have been organized.

During the programme, Foresee's experts held a 3-day intensive course for 18 volunteers from the institutional workers. Apart from the theoretical trainings, the participants had the chance to experience the effectiveness and practical implementation of these techniques first hand through simulated case studies (roleplay, groupwork, etc.). The participants expressed at the feedback circle held at the end of the training that they would like to utilize this approach and these techniques in their family relations as well as their everyday work.

Following the training, the concrete framework of the possible implementation of the technique in the correctional institute has been created, detailing the cases and the methods of implementing them in the process of the correctonal cases. Implementing the restorative techniques led to conflict resolutions in non-correctional cases as well, and improved communication altogether. An important goal was to help the Institute prepare for its responsibility assigned in the new Penal Execution Codex, and to enable the institute workers to make use of the techniques in the future as well.

Throughout the training several workers expressed that they would like to further train themselves as mediators, and institute leaders and teachers asked for mediator help with actual conflict cases on multiple occasions.

The project provided a chance for the institute workers and the juveniles to familiarize themselves with the restorative techniques. The findings of the project provide opportunities not only for those in the institute, but for other child protection and penal institutes, not only in Hungary, but internationally as well.

Introducing the findings of the MEREPS Project to students

Tue, 11 Dec 2012 17:51:00 +0100

The discussion examined the following questions in connection with criminal mediation, that can be used (since the year 2006) in minor criminal cases: Could mediation be used in more serious cases, together with imprisonment? Can mediation ease the contorversions between inmates and prison staff? Can it help to resolve cell-conflicts? Can a fundamentally restorative prison exist?

The partners of Foresee’s executive during the discussion, in the talk about the findings of the MEREPS Project and the answering of questions were Szilvia Istvánov ( disciplinator, MEREPS-trained mediator, Juvenile Prison, Tököl) and János Drienyovszki ( mediator, former criminal mediator of the Probation Service, nowdays parttaker of prison mediation projects, trainer).

Upon the end of the discussion, the film „Woolf Within” that could be given further thoughts in relation with MEREPS Project has been screened.

Training for judges at the Judicial Academy

Wed, 24 Oct 2012 10:20:00 +0200

The experts of the MEREPS project were responsible for the first section of the two-day long training. During the introduction moderated by Dr. Borbála Fellegi, the participants’ knowledge of the practice of restorative techniques has been measured. Following the introduction, Dr. Zsolt Fekete (judge, Balassagyarmat Court) held a presentation on the implementation of alternative conflict handling techniques in prison from a prison-judge’s perspective.

The presentation was followed by film screening and group discussion about on the implementation of restorative conflict resolution, moderated by Dr. Borbála Fellegi.

Following a short break, Dr. Tünde Barabás (OKRI) held a presentation for the participants with the title „The framework, empirical findings and legislative recommendations of the MEREPS project,”, followed by a presentation by Dr. Borbála Fellegi introducing the findings and methodological recommendations of the MEREPS pilot project.

The participants agreed on the importance and usefulness of implementing restorative techniques in the prison service.

Presentation on the final professional conference of the Tett programme

Sun, 15 Jul 2012 20:24:00 +0200

The conference was ceremoniously opened with speeches from Dr. Róbert Répássy, Minister of State for Justice representing the Ministry of Public Administration and Justice; dr. Krisztina Simonné Berta, Deputy State Secretary for EU and International Relations representing the Ministry of Interior; András Csóti, Maj. Gen., director general representing Hungarian Prison Service Headquarters; and Dr. Zoltán Kunfalvi, director-general of the Justice Service of Ministry of Public Administration and Justice.

Following the opening ceremony, the invitees participated in the presentation entitled ”Basic tasks and developments in the activities of the Justice Services”, while after the lunchbreak several section meetings have been organised.

The section meeting saw presentations with the following titles:
„4Re: Reintegration, rehabilitation, resocialization, restorative approach”
„Child-and family friendly justice in view of the TEtt programme I./Minors in the victim assistance system”
„Volunteering in victim assistance”
„Restorative practices in the Prison Service”
„Service for the community – Community service”
„Challenges in the work of the victim assistance hotline”

The first day of the professional conference ended with the summaries of the section leaders.

The conference went on with following section meetings on the second day.

The following presentations have been held at these section meetings:
„Community Employment – grouptasking, pedagogy through experience”
„Maintaining motivation in aftercare”
„Experiences of psychological help in victim support”
„Family decision making groups and regenerating family ties: practical experiences”
„Child-and family friendly justice in view of the TEtt programme II./Female inmates in mother role”

The conference has been closed with a speech by Dr. Zoltán Kunfalvi, director-general of the Justice Service of Ministry of Public Administration and Justice.

In her presentation, Dr. Borbála Fellegi introduced the role of restorative approach in society, the applicability of restorative programmes, and also mentioned the recommendations of the recently finished, Foresee-led MEREPS project.

The presentation of Dr. Borbála Fellegi can be downloaded in Hungarian from here.

The role of alternative conflict resolution in the reintegration of convicts

Sun, 15 Jul 2012 17:37:00 +0200

The three-day-long training saw altogether 10 participants. Six of them were disciplinarians from the Penal Institue of Heves County and four came from the Balassagyarmat Prison.

The aim of the training was to familiarize the participants with the restorative approach, so that they will be able to apply alternative conflict resolution procedure as prison service experts with a daily routine in handling interpersonal conflicts.

The training introduced the participants to the following areas:
•    the fundamentals of the restorative justice approach and its comparison to the conventional criminal justice paradigm
•    alternative conflict resolution in practice, introduced through different methods: informal techniques, mediation, conference-method, circle method, family decision making group
•    defining the parties of a conflict
•    defining our own feelings and need in our conflicts
•    the needs of the parties in conflicts
•    preparing and handling conflicts
•    the role of the mediator/facilitator
•    standards of the conflict handling process
•    restorative questions and their applicability
•    the importance of supporters and other involved persons
•    the basic fundamentals of the process: impartial mediator, volunteering, confidentiality
•    skills needed for mediation: understanding attention, types of questions, summarizing
•    the applicability and possible implementation of the restorative method in one’s own practice

According to results from satisfaction sheets, the participants were highly satisfied, they emphasized the introduction and the chance to try role plays and practical techniques as the most important parts of the training.

According to feedback, they find the informal restorative techniques (question and communication techniques, mediation of cell-conflicts) highly implementable in the inner world of prison service, especially in the area of handling conflicts between inmates. Apart from that, they also value the application of restorative techniques in „civlian” areas such as family or school conflicts.

The full text of the MEREPS Project's Final Publication is freely downloadable

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 13:13:00 +0200

This publication includes the research studies, results, observations, experiences and proposals relating to the work carried out by the participating partners over the three years of the MEREPS project (JLS/2008/JPEN015-30-CE-0267156/00-39), co-funded by the Criminal Justice Programme 2008 of the European Commission.

Following the introduction by Martin Wright, first the chapters written by Tünde Barabás and Szandra Windt presents the background of the empirical research of several years carried out by the National Institute of Criminology, the summary of the different target groups and methods of the survey and, on the basis of all this, the possibilities of mediation in Hungarian prisons. In the course of this, we will present the results of the examinations conducted in the penal institutions in Balassagyarmat and Tököl, you can get to know the feelings and circumstances of inmates as well as their attitude to repentance, what the Hungarian prison system has to offer and the attitude of those working in the prisons. You can also read about the needs of victims, based on victims' forums and the relevant research.

This is followed by the evaluation study of Dóra Szegő and Borbála Fellegi (Foresee Research Group) of the one-year pilot project implemented in Hungary: the disclosure of the difficulties, (partial) successes and the tasks arising in the everyday life of prisons, which have to be addressed and solved and which will lay the foundation of the domestic application of prison mediation. The pilot project tested the applicability of the restorative justice (RJ) approach in the Hungarian prison system: how can practices representing restorative principles be introduced in prison settings? What are the institutional, legal and personal conditions that serve as supportive circumstances, and what are the specific challenging circumstances? Based on in-depth interviews and participant observations, the study shows a thorough picture about the internal dynamics and mechanisms of the prison, about the attitudes of staff and about the ways in which RJ can be integrated into this world.

The Hungarian chapter ends with the evaluation of a practicing public prosecutor, András Szűcs (High Prosecution Service) of the opportunities offered by the legal and institutional framework which are necessary for the application of penal mediation and which can be realised in the current legal framework.

The presentation of the research carried out by our foreign partners begins with the study conducted in England, concentrating on juvenile offenders. According to this chapter, written by Theo Gavrielides, director of IARS, in Britain there are fewer legal barriers to the introduction and application of restorative practices (compared to the continent), and so they are significantly ahead of us in the field of introducing and applying restorative tools. This may facilitate the experiences of the British being regarded as exemplary when introducing penal mediation in Hungary. The essay, however, looks further ahead, and presents a much broader range of the programmes of a restorative approach applied in the different prisons of the world, primarily in respect of juvenile offenders. The essay mentions the research carried out among English experts and makes recommendations concerning the application of the restorative approach in prisons.

After that you can read about the results achieved in the German study and pilot project, led by Arthur Hartmann (professor of the University of Bremen). You can become acquainted with the complex system of the German federal rules and the rules of the state of Bremen, as well as the general conditions and current practice of Restorative Justice in Germany. The chapter details the research carried out by the University of Bremen and the results of the model experiment subsequently conducted in the penal institution in Oslebshausen (Bremen).

The closing study written by Ivo Aertsen (professor at the University of Leuven) in the volume describes the history and possibilities of prison mediation already implemented and operating efficiently in Belgium. On the one hand, it outlines the Belgian legislative environment and current regulatory framework; on the other hand it presents the structural barriers and difficulties as well as the good practices and other development trends.

A special feature of the book is that its last part contains three case studies (a mediation case written by Els Gossens, mediator of the Belgian Suggnomé, and two family group conferencing cases by Vidia Negrea (director of the IIRP Hungary) and by Dóra Szegő and Borbála Fellegi) that illustrate the resolution of “real-life”, successfully closed and very serious cases, from preparation to closing, through a restorative approach.

This seemingly small volume may represent an important milestone in the adaptation and introduction of restorative practices such as mediation and group conferencing in prison settings. We are hopeful that the studies in this book will contribute to the communication of the various programmes and models of a restorative approach. And maybe they can also make us reflect on programmes that make it possible to get those affected by a crime to sit down and discuss the issues that are important to them, so that they can develop a mutually acceptable solution together.

The full text of the English language publication can be downloaded from here (in pdf format).

***

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Final conference of the MEREPS Project

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 20:44:00 +0100

The three year long international research „Mediation and Restorative Justice in Prison Settings” (MEREPS) led by Foresee Research Group and the National Institute of Criminology has been closed. The MEREPS consortium includes six research groups from four European countries. The Hungarian-led project is headed by the Foresee Research Group, and operates under the professional leading of the National Institute of Criminology. Foresee’s foreign partners are the Leuven-based European Forum for Restorative Justice (Belgium), the London-based Independent Academic Research Studies (England), and two organisations from Bremen, the Hochschule für Öffentliche Verwaltung Bremen and the Bremen Mediation Service (Germany).

The aim of the project was to investigate possible ways to implement mediation and restorative methods within the prison walls. The results of the Hungarian empirical research confirmed that the restorative approach and the implementation of constructive conflict resolution techniques could indeed work effectively in prison settings, as well. The final conference entitled „Responsibility-taking, Relationship-building and Restoration in Prison” summarising the findings of the study took place in Budapest between January 17 and 19 2012 organised by Foresee Research Group and the National Institute of Criminology, hosted by the Hungarian Judicial Academy with the participation of more than 120 Hungarian and international experts.

Main findings of the MEREPS research

At the conference, Dr. Tünde Barabás, Head of Departement at National Institute of Criminology and MEREPS project leader said that findings of the empirical research carried out in two prisons (Balassagyarmat – adult inmates, Tököl – juvenile offenders) involving both prisoners and prison staff show that although the any encounter between victims and offenders in prison settings is an especially delicate matter, it could bring about significant achievements both regarding the reintegration of the offender and the victims’ relief. Although the benefits of such encounter are clear, the involvement of victims after the sentencing is difficult due to current data protection regulations and the lack of victim support services providing mental support for victims of serious crimes.

According to the results, victim-offender encounter can be recommended among adult inmates in cases where sincere repentance as motivation for the meeting can be identified from the part of the offender. Amongst juvenile offenders in the sample repentance and the need to ask for apology were less frequent presumably because of their age and socialisation deficits. For these inmates other types of reparation might be more adequate, such as working for the community, as an act of symbolic restoration.

Dr. Borbála Fellegi, leader of the MEREPS project’s international consortium, executive director of Foresee Research Group held a report on the findings of a restorative pilot programme and the related action research in Balassagyarmat Prison, run by Foresee Research Group last year with the help of a psychologist and facilitator, Ms. Vidia Negrea. The conclusion of the research programme was that the restorative approach is, at present, most welcome and best used as a way of dealing with conflicts within the prison (so-called in-cell conflicts taking place between inmates) and as a way to strengthen prisoners’ relationship with their family members, especially before release. Numerous cases of the MEREPS pilot project have proved that mediation or other restorative interventions (restorative conferencing, for instance) led by a neutral third party (usually an external civil facilitator/mediator in pair with a trained prison staff member) effectively contribute to help the participants express their needs, interests and feelings and the offender take responsibility for their actions and help parties find a solution suitable for everyone.

The conference

The three day-long final conference of the „Mediation and Restorative Justice in Prison Settings” (MEREPS) project has been successfully carried out between January 17. and 19. 2012. by Foresee Research Group and the National Institute of Criminology. On the first day of the professional programme, the participants visited the Balassagyarmat Prison, while the second and third day of the schedule was hosted by the Hungarian Judicial Academy. The event saw 120 participants, 22 international (American, Belgian Canadian, English, Finnish German Irish, Portugese, Romanian and Swiss) and more than 100 Hungarian experts.. A variety of professions were represented at the conference; alongside experts from the fields of prosecution, prison service, policy makers, victim assistance, researchers, psychologists, teachers, mediators and practitioners using restorative approaches were involved in great numbers as well.

The main subject of the conference, the applicability of restorative methods in prison settings was, in the spirit of interdisciplinarity, discussed by several Hungarian and foreign experts representing various fields of expertise, introducing its several aspects during the three days. The attendants not only got a detailed introduction to the findings of the MEREPS project, but also a chance to get to know the latest theoretical trends and results from various Hungarian and international researches. There has also been emphasis on sharing experiences from Hungarian and international practices and the support of interactive professional dialogues as well. On the final day of the conference prison governors and other staff members gave an overview of the actual results and challenges.

The MEREPS Final Publication

On the first day of the conference the participants received a free copy of the final publication, entitled „Responsibility-taking, Relationship-building and Restoration in Prison”, a book that summarizes the Hungarian and international findings of the MEREPS project. The book shall be downloadable for free from the www.mereps.foresee.hu website in both English and Hungarian from March 2012. On the final day of the conference, all of the participants received a certificate.

Visiting the Balassagyarmat Prison (17th January)

The event started with a visit to the Balassagyarmat Prison, one of the main partners in the project. The 20 foreign and 15 Hungarian visitors were greeted in Hungary’s oldest prison by the governor, dr. István Budai who introduced the history and everyday life of the prison and gave an overview of finished and ongoing projects aimed at improving inmates’ quality of life, reintegration and communal atonement. The visitors had a chance to see the inmates’ cells, study rooms and a pottery class as well, where they were gifted with candle-holders made by the inmates themselves. An especially memorable moment was the visit to the prison chapel, where the murals were painted by the inmates themselves, guided by a civilian painter as a result of a successful initiative. The inmates, directed by piano-artist Ádám Fellegi put on a moving rock-opera performance inspired by the biblical story of the Good Samaritan. The Biblical story was explained to the audience before the performance by the American guest of the conference, Rev. Jerry Hancock.

The text of the Rock-opera, written by an inmate, Dezso Gagyi and Adam Fellegi can be downloaded from here.

International Conference at the Judicial Academy (18-19th January)

Introductory plenary presentations: the international findings of the MEREPS project

The first day of the professional programme was opened by one of the visionaries of the MEREPS project, executive of Foresee Reasearch Group, Dr. Borbála Fellegi, who, together with Dr. Tünde Barabás developed the basics of the project in 2008. The opening speech was followed by greetings from András Csóti, deputy commander of the Hungarian Prison Service, and Dr. Gergely Bánhegyi, director of the Hungarian Judicial Academy.

First in line of the presentations was the one by Prof. Alison Liebling, criminology professor of the University of Cambridge. The professor summarized the findings of her decade-long prison research, affirming the legitimacy of restorative objectives.
The findings of the MEREPS project were the subject of the first round table discussion, chaired by Karolien Mariën (European Forum for Restorative Justice). The English findings were summarized by Dr. Theo Gavrielides, executive of Independent Academic Research Studies, the German execution was introduced by Prof. Arthur Hartmann (Institute for Police and Security Research, Hochschule für Öffentliche Verwaltung), while Dr. Tünde Barabás and Dr. Szandra Windt from the National Institute of Criminology presented the Hungarian findings.

The presentation of Prof. Alison Liebling can be downloaded from here.
The presentation of Dr. Theo Gavrielides can be downloaded from here.
The presentation of Prof. Dr. Arthur Hartmann can be downloaded from here.
The presentation of Dr. Tünde Barabás and Dr. Szandra Windt can be downloaded from here.

Afternoon workshops: Hungarian and international practices

The attendants could choose between two workshops in the afternoon of the first day. The international workshop, chaired by Dr. Theo Gavrielides discussed the implementation of restorative justice and mediation in prison The interactive workshop gave an overview of various international practices, legal backgrounds, trends and challenges through questions asked by the audience. Prof. Arthur Hartmann gave an introduction to the German, Ms. Karolien Mariën the Belgian, Dr. Theo Gavrielides the English and Tania R. Petrellis the Canadian restorative practices, while reverend Jerry Hancock introduced an American program, sharing the findings of Prison Ministry Project. The workshop was a great opportunity for Hungarian experts to get first hand information about experiences of those working on the international restorative field There also was discussion about the role of the community, the location of the victims and the challenge of sustainability in restorative processes.

The other afternoon workshop, „Good practices, shared experiences in the Hungarian Prison Service”, led by János Wágner expected those Hungarian and foreign attendants who wanted to learn about Hungarian restorative programs, practices apart from the MEREPS project. Ildikó Batizi, representing the Ministry of Interior summarized the results of the TÁMOP-5.6.2-10/1-2010-0001 EU-funded project, connected to the subproject entitled „ Creating a multi-phase, social and labour market reintegration, an intensive after-care models for convicts,”.. Dóra Szegő, representing Foresee Research Group gave an overview of the MEREPS experimental prison mediation pilot’s findings from the researcher’s point of view. In the end János Wágner, mediator of Partners Hungary summarized the findings and long-run results of the mediation training held in 8 prisons. The presentations were followed by interactive discussion. One of the main topics was the prison service judges’ stressed the need of psychologists and other social service practitioners inside the prisons. Numerous topics of the practical side of mediation inside prisons were also talked over, for example: who could provide mediation inside a prison and what would be the appropriate conditions that need to be met in order to realise truly restorative processes within the prison.

The presentation of Ms. Karolien Mariën can be downloaded here.
The presentation of Prof. Arthur Hartmann can be downloaded here.
The presentation of Ms. Dóra Szegő can be downloaded here.
The presentation of Ms. Ildikó Batizi can be downloaded here.
The presentation of Mr. János Wágner can be downloaded here.

Focus on the victims

The emotional peak of the day was the presentation of the English journalist, Marina Cantacuzino. After a short film used as an introduction, she spoke about her work with inmates in the organization called The Forgiveness Project, a project that works with victims, relatives and perpetrators of extremely serious crimes (manslaughter, terrorism, etc.), looking for a chance for forgiveness and peace among those involved. The way Marina Cantacuzino explained in her presentation: forgiveness is mainly a help for ourselves, not for the other…a help so that the weight of the tragedy of the past won’t crush our present and future. In her words: „Forgiveness means giving up all hope for a better past” The coordinator of the session, Vidia Negrea (IIRP trainer, KIMISZ victim assistant psychologist) encouraged the attendants to join together in small groups and discuss the importance of forgiveness in the restorative practices and their own lives. This interactive session provided an interesting time for exchange amongst the different participants about their everyday work and thoughts concerning the role of forgiveness.

Evening concert

The closure of the first day was “celebrated” with a very special cultural programme. After a long day of mental adventures, the concert of the authentic Roma band, Terne Prhala from Csobánka (a little village near to Budapest) touched the participants’ hearts with great success. The five family members who were playing and dancing could show the emotional side, the sorrow and joy of the Roma people through their very genuine music.
The further improvement of professional bonds was continued during the conference dinner.

Focus on the Prison Service

The final day of the conference focused on professionals working in the Prison Service. The forenoon plenary, chaired by the president of the Restorative Justice Section of the Hungarian Society of Criminology, Dr. Erzsébet Hatvani, started with reports from two experienced trainers of the Hungarian project. Dr.Marian Liebmann, restorative expert, mediator, trainer and researcher from the United Kingdom, who held a three day-long mediation training before the start of the pilot mediation project for the staff of the Balassagyarmat and Tököl prisons gave an all-round international overview of the multiple ways restorative techniques are used in the various countries of the world. Vidia Negrea, victim assistant psychologist of KIMISZ and restorative trainer assisted the work of the MEREPS project in the Balassagyarmat Prison as a trainer, mediator and supervisor. In her presentation, she exhibited the findings and challenges with her usual credibility and professionalism.

The presentation of Dr. Marian Liebmann can be downloaded here.
The presentation of Ms. Vidia Negrea can be downloaded here.

Why me? - The story of Will and Peter

The invited presenters of the forenoon roundtable were directors and staff of prisons involved in the MEREPS project, experts, who were able to share a first-hand impression of the project from a prison service point of view. The moderator of the plenary was Dr. Tünde Barabás, researcher of the National Institute of Criminology and MEREPS project leader. As a preliminary to the discussion, the short film of the English victim assistant group „Why me” was screened to the audience. In the film, the founder of the organization, Will Riley shares a story about how he became a victim of breaking and entering. What’s special about the film is that Will tells the story together with the offender, Peter, whom he first met on a restorative conference, and later was inspired by this meeting to bring his organization to life.

Plenary presentation: the restorative approach through the eyes of the prison governors

After the film, dr. István Budai, governor of the Balassagyarmat Prison, Mihály Kovács, head of department held their presentations. The governor introduced the prison and gave an overview of finished and ongoing projects aimed at improving inmates’ quality of life, reintegration and communal atonement, while Mr. Kovács shared the experiences and challenges of the MEREPS project in their prison. Tamás Tóth, commander of the Tököl Prison for Juvenile Offenders introduced the prison, then shared his experiences with the project, and also shared some personal experiences related to the conference’s subject. At the end of the roundtable, the attendants had the chance to ask the prisons’ representatives questions related to carrying out the project. Based on the statistics from the presentations, as well as the prison service experts’ personal opinions, it is safe to say that in general, the application of restorative techniques has a definitive role in lessening the conflicts in prisons, and both commanders emphasized the beneficial effect of involving civilian experts.

The presentation of dr. István Budai can be downloaded here.
The presentation of Mr. Mihály Kovács can be downloaded here.

Focus on the juvenile offenders

The last event of the conference, chaired by the organizer of the conference, Dr. Borbála Fellegi, was carried out with most of the attendants from the afternoon plenary present, and with great interest. The first presenter was Attila Szarka, director of the Aszód Juvenile Institution. He introduced the particularities of juvenile offenders, and with his help the audience had the chance to follow the journey of a conflict within the institute through the example of an actual case. The final presentation of the conference was held by Prof. Dr. Péter Ruzsonyi, university professor of the National University of Public Service, Faculty of Law Enforcement. His presentation was a summary of possible ways for restorative practices in prisons. At the end of the three day-long conference, the attendants had a chance to give feedback, not only in writing, but staying true to the event’s interactive spirit, in speech as well. The members of the numerous audience worded their personal and professional reflections as well in the conference-closing circles.

The presentation of Prof. Dr. Péter Ruzsonyi can be downloaded here.

Experiences, feedback

Although the metaphor about “squaring the circle” and “sphereing the triangle” became a guiding symbol for the conference, referring to the many challenges in implementing the democratic and equality-based restorative approach into the hierarchy-based prison setting, the participants agreed that applying these techniques within prison walls is necessary as well as useful. The findings of the MEREPS research and experimental pilot program showed, that it is essential to give help the prison staff so that they may be able to use not only the traditional „reward-punishment” system while trying to forward the responsibility taking and understanding of inmates, but – as a third way – other, restorative techniques as well. Prison staff in Hungary is overburdened and experiencing a constant lack of resources. This makes the use of techniques that find solutions for easing tensions and handling conflicts in a peaceful and co-operative way highly important.

Written feedback from the participants confirm that the conference provided a unique opportunity for familiarizing and sharing Hungarian and international experiences, bringing together the professions involved, jumpstarting the discussion and collective thinking. According to the results of the questionnaires, 82 percent of the participants answered that they acquired new information, and the satisfaction rate concerning the program and the organizing was 98 percent. The Hungarian participants mentioned in great numbers the chance to be introduced to the international experiences and the fact that the conference put emphasis on the practice as well as the theory as one of the main benefits. Among the conference’s mentioned strong points were: „ the multi-aspect approach, the multi-level familiarization of those involved” (student), „provided help for cases that seemed so far insolvable” (judge), „information on family group conferences” (judge), „information on work with the victims” (representative of civilian organization, probation officer), „practical advices and experiences” (prison service), „building connections” (mediator). Many of the attendants emphasized that the conference had motivational, inspirational, or affirmative effect on them.

We would like to wish all our participants good luck and many personal and larger successes in further developing the restorative approach in their daily work, and hope that the relations that were established during this conference will be fruitful for everyone in the future, too!

The full programme of the conference can be seen here.

Photos of the conference can be seen from here.

‘Responsibility-taking, Relationship-building and Restoration in Prisons’

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 20:27:00 +0100

Here you can find the detailed programme of the two day-long professional conference held at the Hungarian Judicial Academy.

All of the presentations held at the conference are linked in the text, and can easily be downloaded by clicking on the presenters' names.

18 January 2012, Wednesday: Conference Day 1

9:00-9:30   Registration

9:30-11:00   Plenary I.

Welcoming speech by Mr. András Csóti András (Appointed Director-General, Hungarian Prison Administration) and by Dr. Gergely Bánhegyi, director of the Hungarian Judicial Academy
Setting the scene: Restorative Justice and the prison’s moral climate – some theoretical and empirical observations

Presenter: Prof. Alison Liebling (Professor of Criminology, University of Cambridge)

Chair: Dr. Borbála Fellegi (Executive director, Foresee Research Group)

11:00-11:20   Coffee break

11:30-13:00   Plenary II.

Round table discussion about the main results of the MEREPS project in the UK, Germany and Hungary:

Dr. Theo Gavrielides (Director, Independent Academic Research Studies, UK)

Prof. Arthur Hartmann (Institute for Police and Security Research, University of Applied Sciences in Public Administration, Bremen, Germany)

Dr. Tünde Barabás and Dr. Szandra Windt (National Institute of Criminology, Hungary)

Chair: Ms. Karolien Mariën (Executive officer, European Forum for Restorative Justice)

13:00-14:00   Lunch break

14:00-15:30   Parallel workshops

Workshop 1: Supporting and challenging factors of implementing mediation and RJ in prisons (Beyond the speeches of Plenary II.)

Presenters: Prof. Arthur Hartmann, Dr. Theo Gavrielides, Ms. Karolien Mariën

Chair: Dr. Theo Gavrielides

Workshop 2: Applying the restorative approach in Hungarian prisons
Presenters: Ms. Dóra Szegő (Researcher, Foresee Research Group), Mr. János Wágner (Mediator, Partners Hungary Foundation), Ms. Ildikó Batizi (Ministry of Interior)

Chair: Mr. János Wagner

15:30-16:00    Coffee break

16:00-17:30    Plenary III.: The meaning of forgiveness for victims and offenders

Presenter: Ms. Marina Cantacuzino (Founder, The Forgiveness Project, UK)

Chair: Ms. Vidia Negrea (IIRP trainer, victim support psychologist, Central Office of Justice, Hungary)

19 January 2012, Thursday: Conference Day 2

9:30-11:00   Plenary I.: The applicability of restorative practices in prisons in Hungary and in the international scene

Presenters:
Ms. Negrea Vídia (IIRP trainer, victim support psychologist, Central Office of Justice, Hungary)
Dr. Marian Liebmann (mediation practitioner and trainer, UK)

Chair: Dr. Erzsébet Hatvani (Chair of the Restorative Justice Committee, Hungarian Society of Criminology)

11:00-11:20   Coffee break

11:30-13:00   Plenary II.: MEREPS results from the eye of the prison governance

Roundtable discussion

Presenters: Dr. István Budai (Governor, Balassagyarmat Prison), Mr. Mihály Kovács (Head of dep., Balassagyarmat Prison), Mr. Tamás Tóth (Governor, Tököl Juvenile Prison)

Chair: Dr. Tünde Barabás

13:00-14:00   Lunch break

14:00-15:30   Plenary III.: The next steps: applying RJ in juvenile institutions

Presenter: Mr. Attila Szarka (Director, Aszód Juvenile Institute)

Main conclusions from the conference

Presenter: Prof. Dr. Péter Ruzsonyi (university professor of the National University of Public Service, Faculty of Law Enforcement)

Chair: Dr. Borbála Fellegi

17.00 Closure of the conference

MEREPS UK project update

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 00:00:01 +0100

The final European MEREPS report is being launched next week in Budapest at the final conference of the MEREPS project. More information can be found on the MEREPS website

Dr. Theo Gavrielides, IARS Director and UK project lead for MEREPS said: "I look forward to launching in Budapest next week the IARS report for MEREPS. The report posits some evidence based recommendations at a critical point in time for the restorative justice movement. The MEREPS Handbook and the final EU report complement our findings and indeed take the research that has been done in the prison context to the next level".

The MEREPS Handbook and the IARS report are part of the "Mediation and Restorative Justice in Prison Settings" project (MEREPS), funded by EU Grant agreement no JLS/2008/JPEN/015-30-CE-0267156/0039. For more information contact T.Gavrielides@iars.org.uk

Launch of the UK MEREPS Report on Restorative Justice in Prisons

Wed, 14 Dec 2011 00:00:01 +0100

Over 70 delegates from the fields of practice, policy and research attended the seminar which launched the IARS report "Restorative Justice and the Secure Estate: Alternatives for Young People".

The delegates had an opportunity to discuss NOMS current policy and future direction for the use of restorative justice in the secure estate. The Youth Justice Board also gave some key updates particularly around capacity building for youth offending teams, further research and a strategy for the juvenile secure estate. The use of restorative justice in prison settings was put in context with the presentations of key projects.

The IARS report is based on a three year research programme that looked at the use of restorative justice practices in prisons. The fieldwork was carried out in the UK with a particular focus on young people in custody.

Click here for presentation by the author of the report and IARS Director, Dr. Theo Gavrielides.

Click here for presentation by Bill Kerslake (Head of Effective Sentences YJB)

Click here for presentation by Rebecca Newby (NOMS Directorate of Commissioning & Commercial)

Click here for presentation by Marina Cantacuzino (Director, the Forgiveness Project)

Click here for presentation by Jemma Jewkes (HMP Gloucester).

Young people from the 99% Campaign interviewed and filmed the delegates. The films will be uploaded on the 99% Campaign website. The event was carried out as part of the high profile 99% Campaign aiming to dispel stereotypes and promote positive stories on young people.

The event and the IARS report are part of the "Mediation and Restorative Justice in Prison Settings" project (MEREPS), funded by EU Grant agreement no JLS/2008/JPEN/015-30-CE-0267156/0039. For more information contact T.Gavrielides@iars.org.uk.

"Life outside" - Collective Identity, Collective exclusion

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 16:11:00 +0200

Much of the subsequent debate has singled out the involvement of children and young people in the looting and violence, although in reality the age range and backgrounds of those convicted in the courts have been considerably more diverse than was initially suspected.

The debate has split in part over an emphasis on the criminal justice response to be made, and partly over an emphasis on causes. While not developed with these terrible events in mind, Life Outside makes a contribution to both aspects of this debate.

Life Outside is the second substantive policy report to be produced from participation with children and young people in the criminal justice system as part of U R Boss, a five year project supported by the Big Lottery Fund. The first report, Life Inside, explored the experience of teenage boys in prison. This report picks up the story after children and young people leave custody. Taken together, the two reports spell out the failures of our current approach to youth justice.

The full report by the Howard League for Penal Reform can be downloaded here.

The website of the "U R Boss" project can be reached here.

MEREPS findings presented at the ESC conference in Lithuania

Tue, 27 Sep 2011 01:00:01 +0200

The 600 participants discussed existing and new alternative methodologies for crime prevention and control. Leading academics, criminologists and practitioners from around the world came together to share their recent research.

Dr. Theo Gavrielides presented two papers that were based on multi-year research projects on restorative justice. The first focuses on the use of restorative justice in prisons and is part of the EU funded “Mediation and Restorative Justice in Prison Settings” project. The IARS research report is based on a 3 year survey carried out with practitioners, policy makers and users of the prison system and focuses on alternatives for young people. It is due to be launched on the 1st December in central London at a half day seminar to be held in partnership with the Restorative Justice Council. For more information on the seminar click here or contact Sarah Topa S.Topa@iars.org.uk To download Gavrielides’ presentation click here.

The second paper focused on the use of restorative justice with clergy child sexual abuse particularly within the Catholic Church. The paper was based on a 6 year programme that IARS is carrying out in partnership with US based research and civil society organisations. To learn more about this programme click here. To download Gavrielides’ presentation click here.

IARS Trustee, Prof. Winterdyk's presentation is titled "Lessons from across the pond: Taking Crime Prevention Seriously" and can be downloaded by clicking here.

MEREPS UK Report launched at national conference in London 1 December

Tue, 27 Sep 2011 01:00:01 +0200

The seminar will launch the IARS report "Restorative Justice and the Secure Estate: Alternatives for Young People". The report is based on a three year research programme that looked at the use of restorative justice practices in prisons. The event and the IARS report is part of the "Mediation and Restorative Justice in Prison Settings" project (MEREPS), funded by EU Grant agreement no JLS/2008/JPEN/015-30-CE-0267156/0039

The author of the report and IARS Director, Dr. Theo Gavrielides, will present the findings. Other speakers include Bill Kerslake (Head of Effective Sentences YJB) and Rebecca Newby (NOMS Directorate of Commissioning and Commercial). Delegates will be given a complimentary hard copy of the IARS report and information on IARS' new research programmes.

Borbala Fellegi, Foresee Director said: “England and Wales with its relatively decentralised criminal justice system and the high number of innovative and passionate practitioners experimenting RJ practices has been in the forefront of RJ developments for several decades. Therefore, it was evident to include UK in the MEREPS consortium. What was not evident (just hoped) is that a research team led by Dr. Theo Gavrielides would provide such a comprehensive overview on the state of affairs and the main policy issues raised by the current practice of RJ in the UK secure estate.

Thanks to the balanced approach of the report and the high emphasis put on the practitioners’ own (sometimes indeed critical) views, the MEREPS project has become enriched by a thorough research work that very well highlights the way forward”.

Graham Robb, Board Member of the Youth justice Board for England and Wales said: “This report is an important contribution to thinking about what sort of secure estate provision we want for the young people who are placed into custody. It is also a chance to restate the importance of maintaining a separate secure estate for under 18s with a focus on development and learning for return to the community”.

The event will be held on 1 December 12:00 - 16:30 at the The Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund, The County Hall, Westminster Bridge Road, London SE1 7PB.

Places are limited. For further details contact Sarah Topa at events@iars.org.uk, or 020 8133 8317 / 07833224442

MEREPS UK report finalised

Fri, 19 Aug 2011 01:00:01 +0200

Over the last 20 years, we have seen several reforms, investment plans, partnerships and criminal justice policies targeting better solutions to youth crime. And yet, in 2010 in England and Wales alone over 10,111 young adults (18-21 yrs) and 1,637 young people (15-17yrs) were in the secure estate. We also locked up 433 children (below 15 yrs). As the evidence of this report show, restorative justice in prison settings is widespread, but piecemeal, inconsistent and sometimes invisible.

Restorative justice is also characterised by numerous implementation barriers and definitional ambiguity. While there is thorough evaluation of restorative justice with certain offences, in others areas, including its application within prisons, the evidence is still accumulating. The limited data do suggest, however, that the restorative justice practice (but most importantly the values underlying its ethos) are able to provide answers that many psychologists, criminologists, social workers and prison staff have strived to find.

II International Congress on Mediation, to be held in Lisbon, 20-22nd October 2011

Sun, 10 Jul 2011 18:23:00 +0200

The Congress theme will be centred on Restorative Justice, bringing together national and foreign speakers of recognized merit and experience.

The organisers invite you to participate in this event and you can find all the updated information about the Congress here.

The UK MEREPS Project reported its findings at national conference

Wed, 06 Jul 2011 01:00:01 +0200

Dr. Gavrielides, author of the UK MEREPS report and Director of IARS presented the following session points:

Findings from the European Union funded project Mediation and Restorative Justice in Prison Settings (MEREPS) run by IARS.
Restorative justice, punishment and imprisonment: how reconcilable are they?
The picture of restorative justice in the juvenile secure estate.
Creating and implementing a national restorative justice strategy in the juvenile secure estate.

To see Dr. Gavrielides' forum presentation click here.

The UK MEREPS Report will be launched at a national conference organised by IARS and other leading agencies later in the year. For more information contact Dr. Theo Gavrielides T.Gavrielides@iars.org.uk

MEREPS presentation at the General Meeting of the European Forum for Restorative Justice

Mon, 04 Jul 2011 19:59:00 +0200

The meeting took place in Brussels on the 15th of June. The report of the previous General Meeting and the annual reports have been approved, the accounts of the Committees have been presented followed by the evaluation of three international projects, financial concerns, policy work and future proposals, all in one day.

Following the presentations on the activities of the „Victims and restorative justice” and the „A way forward for restorative justice in Europe” projects, Dr. Andrea Barabás and Dr. Szandra Windt reported on the possibilities of RJ in prison settings. They presented in details the process and results of the quantitative and qualitative researches of the year, and compared Mediation/RJ in pre and post sentence phase, stating the superiority of the former. The presentation also clarified the legal limits of mediation in Hungary and described the approach and methodology of implementing the RJ in the prison system.

You can download the presentation in Hungarian here.

Pre-announcement of the Final Conference ‘Responsibility-taking, Relationship-building and Restoration in Prisons’

Thu, 30 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0200

When?
On 17-19 January 2012

Where?
At the Hungarian Judicial Academy, Budapest and the Prison in Balassagyarmat, Hungary.

About what?
The conference is to summarise the main findings of the research projects and the pilots experimenting restorative justice (RJ) and mediation in prisons in Germany, Hungary and the United Kingdom, and to stimulate the exchange of good practices related to RJ in prisons.

To download the preliminary conference programme in English, please click here.
To download the preliminary conference programme in Hungarian, please click here.

Who should attend?
Researchers, RJ practitioners, victim agency workers, legal practitioners, policy makers, social workers and other professionals interested in how to integrate RJ into the prison context.

Keynote speakers:
Prof. Alison Liebling (University of Cambridge, UK)
Prof. Arthur Hartmann (University of Applied Sciences in Public Administration, Germany)
Dr. Theo Gavrielides (Independent Academic Research Studies, UK),
Dr. Tünde Barabás (National Institute of Criminology, Hungary)

Special programme:
First the field, then the conference! Attend a special prison visit on 17 January at the Prison in Balassagyarmat, guided by the Governor of the prison!
(Reg. fee: 30€/person, including the return travel cost by bus and one lunch in the prison)

Registration:
We offer FREE REGISTRATION for the first 10 registered participants!

Registration fee from the 11th registration is 50€ (until 31 August 2011) and 80€ (after 31 August 2011).

You can register online here.

IARS Presents MEREPS findings at national UK conference

Fri, 17 Jun 2011 01:00:01 +0200

As part of IARS effort to use MEREPS findings to influence national and European policy and restorative justice practice, Dr. Theo Gavrielides, IARS Director and UK lead for the MEREPS project will present its findings at a national conference in June.

The final report is now in production and will be launched at a national MEREPS conference in 2012.

IARS presents new findings on restorative justice in the juvenile secure estatePressures to reduce spending and cut crime have meant that restorative justice approaches are being welcomed in attending to the growing problems of crime, anti-social behaviour and reoffending.

However, work still needs to be done to ensure that restorative justice is robust and effective enough to meet both public and criminal justice needs.With widespread reforms across the public sector, hearing examples of best practice at national and local levels is a sure and effective way of interpreting current restorative justice approaches, and to raise awareness of improving practice.

This forum will examine the realities of delivering restorative approaches in a new financial year, including; practices to harness the power of communities; working in partnership; and developing restorative justice across all sectors and parts of the community.

Confirmed speaker at this forum is Dr. Theo Gavrielides, Founder and Executive Director of Independent Academic Research Studies (IARS).

Dr. Gavrielides will be covering the following session points:
Findings from the European Union funded project Mediation and Restorative Justice in Prison Settings (MEREPS) run by IARS.
Restorative justice, punishment and imprisonment: how reconcilable are they?    The picture of restorative justice in the juvenile secure estate.
Creating and implementing a national restorative justice strategy in the juvenile secure estate.

Other confirmed speakers include:
Lizzie Nelson, Director, Restorative Justice Council.
Garry Shewan, Assistant Chief Constable, Greater Manchester Police and ACPO Lead for Restorative Justice.
Selwyn Morgans, Service Manager for Residential Services, Children & Young People's Services, Durham County Council.

When?
Wednesday 29th June 2011, 9am to 4pm, at the Grand Connaught Rooms in London.

For further information click here or call Constantina Christophide on 020 7484 5249.To make a booking click here.

Borbála Fellegi’s presentation on the conference of the National Mediation Association

Thu, 26 May 2011 18:02:00 +0200

This yearly conference provides institutes and organizations aiming to establish and disseminate the spirit of mediation with a chance to meet. Also, it is a great occasion to discuss actualities in the field.

The participants are representatives of institutes and organizations specializing in criminal justice cases or consumer protection, or working with conflicts in the fields of work, health care system, educational system, family and social care. Also invited are the mediators represented on the Ministry of Justice’s list of official mediators.

The presentation gave an overview of the aims of the project, the partners involved, and the activities that have been carried out or are being planned as part of the project.

The presentation can be downloaded here.

IARS MEREPS & RJ News, May 2011

Mon, 16 May 2011 01:00:01 +0200

Since its inception, IARS has been carrying out independent, international research in the area of restorative justice focusing on areas such as youth violence, hate crimes, sexual offending, prisons and the juvenile secure estate. To see IARS' restorative justice projects, their publications and policy development work click here

IARS is also pleased to announce that its two year EU funded research on restorative justice and the juvenile secure estate has been completed and a ground breaking report is about to be released. A conference is being organised to launch the report and we would like to hear from anyone interest in delivering it in partnership. The UK project forms part of the larger European Mediation and Restorative Justice in Prisons Project (MEREPS).

In the meantime, IARS is taking forward its newly acquired EU funded project the "3E Model for a Restorative Justice Strategy in Europe" led by Aristotle University, Greece. Ben Lyon, IARS' Restorative Justice Project Coordinator will work closely with Dr. Theo Gavrielides to deliver this exciting project for the UK and Europe.

Our project on "Clergy Child Sexual Abuse and Restorative Justice" is also being taken forward in partnership with US and Irish based NGOs and universities.

Finally, Gavrielides' edition "Rights and Restorative within Youth Justice", an edited, international Volume with contributions from the leading human rights and restorative justice experts in the world is in development and due to be published soon.

If you would like to know more about IARS' work on restorative justice click on the hyperlink of each project or email Dr. Theo Gavrielides, IARS' Director.

Introducing MEREPS Program at the round-table session of the Hungarian Criminal Association

Mon, 27 Jun 2011 21:58:00 +0200

At the round-table discussion organized by the Hungarian Criminal Association on the topic of ’Restorative methods in prisons’ MEREPS program was introduced by Dóra Szegő analyst, representing Foresee Research Group. In her talk, Ms. Szegő outlined the implementation process of the project.

The Hungarian presentation can be downloaded here.

Resolution of conflicts involving prisoners

Thu, 21 Apr 2011 10:34:00 +0200

Our sense of justice and the need to protect our society require us to send people who commit serious crimes to prison. At least for a time…

What happens to offenders during their prison term and afterwards? What do they think about the crime they committed and the damage they caused? To what extent do they feel responsible for what happened? Do they have a sense of guilt and an urge to make things right? Do they have a way of facing and dealing with these feelings at all? What plans and opportunities do they have when starting a new life after their release? What are their chances of success in integrating into society and restoring their relationships?

And what happens on the other side at the same time? How are their victims compensated for the damage they suffered? Do they have an opportunity to share their pain and loss with someone, especially with the one who made them suffer, or to ask the questions that haunt them? Who helps them deal with the trauma they suffered and move on, and in what ways? Does the justice system give them justice and how can they take part in it directly?

Or: How do the parents, children and family members of the victims and offenders respond to the crime? Are they able to handle what happened? Are they able to support their loved ones in coping with the consequences and “restarting” their lives?

And there are questions related to the broader community and society as well. How is the damaged community compensated as a result of the criminal justice procedure? Is there any guarantee that the released offenders will not hurt us again? Are we ready to accept released prisoners and help them integrate?

If one should try to grasp the key element of any solution in a single word, it might certainly be dialogue: dialogue between offenders, victims, directly or indirectly affected family members, the professionals involved, and members of the immediate and broader community.

Lacking the necessary set of tools, the traditional criminal justice system has been unable to facilitate such a dialogue. As such, it is no surprise that the restorative approach has gained ground in relation to dealing with crimes and offenders.

In the past two decades, restorative justice and its institutions have become increasingly recognised in most of the European jurisprudences, and have also appeared in practice. However, in most cases restorative solutions are available only prior to conviction. Only a few practices exist (especially in Belgium) that allow offenders to repair the harm they caused whilst in prison. It mainly affects those offenders and victims who are willing to engage in a restorative dialogue, which is not available in prison settings. Although there are many projects dealing with victims, offenders and the affected communities, most of them promote the use of restorative practices before conviction takes place.

Based on domestic and international research findings suggesting that the restorative approach is most effective and efficient regarding serious crimes, Hungarian professionals in restorative justice, in cooperation with foreign partners, have set up a research team to study, at the national and international level, how restorative practices could be applied with offenders during their time in prison. The research programme has become known as the MEREPS project, the name of which stands for “Mediation and Restorative Justice in Prison Settings”, and it has been supported by the Criminal Justice Programme of the European Commission. Led by Hungarian researchers, the international project looks at how mediation and other restorativepractices could be applied in prison settings, with special regard to offenders who committed serious crimes.

The project, which includes both theoretical and empirical research and field studies, seeks to establish and promote cooperation and dialogue between researchers, restorative professionals, legislators and legal practitioners in the countries concerned.

The primary objective of the MEREPS project is to identify ways to apply mediation and restorative practices in prison settings, with special regard to providing support to victims and enabling offenders to take responsibility. It also aims to facilitate the resolution of conflicts resulting from a crime between the victim and the offender, and the offender and their environment, including other inmates, with a view to facilitating the reintegration of offenders following their release.

Following the empirical work phase, the Hungarian team aims to test how restorative practices could be applied in prisons through a pilot project, which will also include very serious crimes. In the framework of the pilot project, restorative solutions will be offered both in cases of conflicts between inmates in a prison and for the resolution of conflicts between offenders and victims and family members.

The MEREPS consortium includes six research groups from four European countries. The Hungarian-led project is headed by the Foresee Research Group, and operates under the professional leading of the National Institute of Criminology. Foresee’s foreign partners are the Leuven-based European Forum for Restorative Justice (Belgium), the London-based Independent Academic Research Studies (England), and two organisations from Bremen, the Hochschule Für Öffentliche Verwaltung Bremen and the Bremen Mediation Service (Germany). The domestic implementation of the project enjoys support from several high profile organisations, including the Office of Justice, the Hungarian Crime Prevention and Prison Mission Foundation, and the Hungarian Judicial Academy.

The empirical research will be carried out at two locations in Hungary, the prison in Balassagyarmat and at the youth correctional centre in Tököl. Two preparation sessions for professionals and prisoners took place in Balassagyarmat.

The international background of MEREPS will enable countries with extensive experience in the field to evaluate their results and determine the areas that need improvement, while also allowing Hungary to get an insight into best practices and standard procedures, and to carry out its pilot project in a professional manner. Moreover, the evaluation of the combined data from various countries may prove highly beneficial. Among other things, it may allow us to prove that the case is not simply that eastern countries have a lot to learn from the west, but rather that information exchange between the two regions might facilitate the development of restorative policies in both parts of Europe.

In the third, decisive phase of the project, this Handbook seeks to support the preparation and implementation of the prison mediation pilot programme and to facilitate dialogue between stakeholders (offenders and victims, directly and indirectly affected family members, professionals, and members of the immediate and broader community). The Handbook is designed for professionals who think they can help perpetrators of serious crimes, their victims and others affected deal together with the damage caused by a crime, understand and clarify the needs of all affected people, and find ways to repair the damage done by participating as impartial mediators.

The Handbook is based on the combined methodology developed by Dr. Marian Liebmann, an England-based mediator/facilitator who has decades of experience in this field. We asked her not to limit the training programme to be implemented at the Balassagyarmat prison to a particular method (e.g. mediation), indicating that we would be pleased to receive an insight into various practices (including restorative conferencing) that may facilitate dialogue between those affected by a serious crime and support the restorative mediation process.

The case studies from England and Hungary included in the Handbook also serve this purpose. The methods and case studies presented suggest that dialogue can be established in various ways, forms and settings, and can serve various purposes. One of the key objectives of our research and pilot programme is therefore to identify the methods that would allow the effective introduction of the restorative approach in Hungarian prisons.

In the following we will present the various techniques, tools and models that may support us in reaching our goal, namely to get those affected by a crime to sit down and discuss their feelings and needs, so that they can develop a mutually acceptable solution together.

We believe that this practical guide represents a small but important milestone in the adaptation and introduction of restorative practices like mediation and group conferencing, which have already been recognised and used throughout Europe and the world, in prison settings.

The handbook can be downloaded here.

March IARS Project Updates and Press Release

Mon, 11 Apr 2011 01:00:01 +0200

Press Release: The 3E Model for a Restorative Justice Strategy in Europe

IARS is pleased to announce that it has been successful in its partnership bid to the European Union for a new two year project titled "The 3E Model for a Restorative Justice Strategy in Europe". The consortium of 7 countries is led by Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece. Dr. Theo Gavrielides, IARS Director, is the Project Lead for the UK.

The project is due to start in June 2011 and will focus on the development of restorative justice as a response to crime in 11 European countries. The countries who bid and won the EU grant are: Greece, UK, Bulgaria, Finland, Poland, Hungary and Spain.

The project will carry out a comparative study of 11 European countries from the North, Western, Central, Eastern and South Europe to develop a coherent strategy for restorative justice across Europe. Through the identification of best practices and the exchange of low budget best practice models a guide will be develop for regional and national bodies.

Dr. Gavrielides, IARS Founder and Director said: "IARS has been a pioneer in the field of research on restorative justice and this project will give us an opportunity to work across Europe and with other countries. Pushing the barriers for restorative justice has been my passion, and I look forward to working with other restorative justice experts on this exciting new initiative".

Ben Lyon, a leading practitioner in restorative justice and one of the founders of the Register of Restorative Justice Practitioners will work as the Project Coordinator. For more information on this project and how to get involved please contact Dr. Theo Gavrielides

The project is funded under the European Commission Directorate E: justice programme, Justice, Freedom and Security (JLS/2010/JPEN/AG).

11/04/2011, Ends

Ways to implement restorative and mediation techniques in child protective services

Mon, 27 Jun 2011 21:39:00 +0200

The session not only gave a general introduction of restorative justice, but provided a perfect forum for discussing the implementation of restorative and mediation techniques in child protective services as well.

You can read more on the conference in Hungarian here.

IARS Responds to the RJC Practitioner Register Consultation

Mon, 14 Mar 2011 00:00:01 +0100

The IARS response was prepared by Dr. Theo Gavrielides and was preceded by an open Call for Evidence. Several submissions were made by restorative justice experts and young people. IARS also used its on-going research programmes on restorative justice, youth justice and criminal justice.

Dr. Theo Gavrielides, IARS Director said: "IARS recognises the need, and indeed the opportunity, to organise and professionalise the UK’s restorative justice movement. There is a good body of evidence suggesting that restorative justice practices are found in all sorts of contexts (community, prisons, schools, work place etc), but without being mapped, evaluated or appreciated. This often means that practitioners receive little infrastructure support and recognition. It also means that they continue to operate in the shadow of the law and with very little funding. We also acknowledge the need to raise and formalise, to some extent, the quality criteria of a restorative justice practice".

IARS' response highlighted some real concerns about the proposed Register, as we have evidence to believe that despite good intentions:

it may disengage and upset practitioners who are already involved in the restorative justice movement
it may be seen as a “top down” approach that does not relate to the “bottom up” structure and vision of the restorative justice notion
it may put financial constrains to practitioners, particularly voluntary mediators, and create unfair competition between those who can afford paid membership and those who cant
it may create a “closed shop” of likeminded professionals and exclude the diversity and richness that currently characterises the movement and its practice.

Linked to the above is our concern that due to the limited capacity within RJC, the proposed Register will absorb all organisational capacity and as a result the much needed voice and representation service to RJ practitioners will disappear.

As an independent think-tank, IARS has presented evidence that call for more infrastructure support for restorative justice practitioners. An independent, bottom up voice is needed if government and policy makers are to proceed with an evidence based strategy that has the buy in from communities and the restorative justice movement. To read the IARS responce click here

For questions or comments please contact Dr. Theo Gavrielides

Press Release: Restorative justice policy and research too narrow

Tue, 08 Mar 2011 00:00:01 +0100

The event was attended by 45 experts in the restorative justice field including representatives from the Home Office, Ministry of Justice, Youth Justice Board, academia and practice. This shows the appetite for more events such as this one and ICCCR has indicated that it looks forward to continuing to work with IARS.

The seminar brought together practitioners, researchers and policy makers in restorative justice to discuss gaps that they experienced in their efford to work together. At this critical point in time when the new UK coalition government is consulting on its sentencing reform plans and a less punitive approach to crime, the report identifies some key areas for improvement for restorative justice.

Dr. Theo Gavrielides, author of the report, Director of IARS and Visiting Senior Research Fellow at ICCCR, said: "This is the first of a series of seminars that aim to encourage a dialogue and consensus amongst practitioners, researchers and policy makers in the restorative justice movement. There is clear evidence of a relationship breakdown and at this critical point in time for restorative justice bridges must be built if the practice is to be rolled out".

The academic and research agenda on restorative justice is too narrow, the report argues. There is a tendency to focus on matters of immediate policy and practical relevance and, as a result, the political and cultural character of restorative justice as well as its goals of academic research are put second. At the same time, a more thorough cost-benefit analysis for restorative justice is needed if it is to be seen as a more cost effective approach to crime, than imprisonment and penal punishment.

Prof. Gerry Johnston speaker at the event and Director of the MA in Restorative Justice (Hull University) said: "As it is becoming ever more clear that our current approach to crime and anti-social behaviour is economically unsustainable and damaging to the very fabric of contemporary British society, the search for more just and effective approaches is now urgent. In this context, policy makers and others interested in the future of criminal justice are showing serious interest in the potential of restorative justice. In response to this challenge, this well-organised seminar brought together experts on restorative justice for a penetrating discussion of the role it might play not only in creating a more meaningful response to crime but in revitalising the communities of contemporary Britain"

The report can be downloaded from the IARS website www.iars.org.uk or by clicking here The seminar was funded by ICCCR and IARS. IARS received a grant from the European Commission as part of the MEREPS programme. For more information on the events contact Dr. Theo Gavrielides T.Gavrielides@iars.org.uk 020 8133 8317, Unit 3B, Park Place, 10-12 Lawn Lane, London SW8 1UD

Ends.

Notes to Editors

IARS: Independent Academic Research Studies www.iars.org.uk

ICCCR: International Centre for Comparative Criminological Research http://www.open.ac.uk/icccr/

IARS responds to Breaking the Cycle Green Paper

Tue, 08 Mar 2011 00:00:01 +0100

The first IARS response has specific focus on youth justice and draws on focus groups held with young people. It also uses evidence compiled by IARS through past research into young people and criminal justice. The response puts an emphasis on youth-led projects, the contribution of public legal education, early intervention and restorative processes for preventing young people from offending. A copy of this consultation response can also be found in IARS' online library.

The second IARS response was produced by IARS' Director Dr. Theo Gavrielides and IARS and focuses on restorative justice. The evidence was collected via various restorative justice research programmes carried out by IARS and other organisations. The response makes a case for an independent voice for the restorative justice movement, infrastructure support for restorative justice practitioners and a more thorough evaluation. It also presents evidence on the use of restorative justice in prisons. A copy of this response can be found in IARS' online library .

For further information about these consultation responses please contact Theo Gavrielides - t.gavrielides@iars.org.uk

’Restorative and mediation techniques in prisons’ conference session in Tököl

Mon, 27 Jun 2011 21:26:00 +0200

At the conference, Mihály Kovács, the head of Balassagyarmat Prison and the professional partner of the MEREPS project held a presentation on the project. In his talk, Mr. Kovács outlined the possible implementations of restorative techniques in prison setting following a general introduction of RJ.

The presentation is available in Hungarian here.

You can read more about the conference in Hungarian here.

Report for the period 01/10/2010 – 31/12/2010

Tue, 01 Feb 2011 09:44:00 +0100

In the context of an international specialist exchange with colleagues from Leuven, Belgium (like professors for criminal law, employees from custody institutions and RJ organisations etc.) further findings could be gathered for the local case processing. Finally in September a compartment meeting to current problems of the execution of sentence took place in Bremen. By participating there, further contacts could be linked and some more questions could be answered.

II. Case study

Egon from Kazakhstan, 21 years, convicted on account of aggravated robberies to a prison sentence of 4 years and 3 months.
Egon was born and raised in Germany, his childhood and youth have been sheltered. The robberies have been committed within a short period of time. Until then he had no previous convictions. While committing the criminal act Egon initially did not see himself as the main force. For him his accomplices were responsible for the development, resolution and enforcement of the criminal acts. In the course of the dialogue he abandoned his defensive demeanour and altercated actively with the victims´ experiences of his criminal acts. Now he seems to be interested in a serious dialogue with and about the victims and their feelings.

The further sessions Egon joins accompanied by his mother. Contrary to him she is a petite woman with a strong Russian accent. It becomes obvious that she is worrying a lot about her son. Because Egon did not fulfill the agreed arrangement (to write an letter of excuse) repeatedly, the time was used to talk about the history of the family. The mother reports immense problems with the integration process in Kazakhstan (she is German) and later in Germany as well. Egon explains that he too had to fight wih this problems over and over, even though he was born in Germany. Respect and acceptanz seem to be the central ideas in the being of all family members. When his mother reports about her reaction to the imprisonment of his son silence fell. The description of a collapse followed by a clinic residence makes Egon slump. During the following sessions a new dynamic of dialogue and an advanced takeover of responsibility develops within Egon. He promises to formulate an letter of excuse. At the same time the attempt to get data of the victims was started. As Egon was not convicted in Bremen the getting data turns out to be a quite difficult undertaking. After three months the data has still not been delivered at the TOA.

After an extensive research the victims data have finally been received at the TOA. Due to the numerous accusations the list of victims is quite long. Together with Egon an emphasis or rather a sequence of the cases with the potential to reconciliate was discussed in advance which after all resulted in contacting a female victim of one particular robbery. A traumaletter was verbalized and sent to the victim. After a long time without any reaction, the victim eventually answered via telephone. She is quite doubtful and wants to think about the participation. She assured to answer again but did not leave her telephone number. After a second very carefully verbalized letter she answers again via the answering machine, but still does not leave a phone number.

Several months without further contact have passed by until Ms Radschlag called once again. She still was very cautious and reserved, but also quite curious. It became clear, that during the day and on bright days Ms Radschlag can cope with the experienced. At night and in the dark seasons like autumn and winter however the memories still stress her heavily. After a detailed telephone call in which many questions were answered a first conversation appointment could be aranged.

During the first personal conversation Ms Radschlag gave the impression to be very self-confident and interested. Only in the course of the further meetings, after general questions have been cleared and a confidential atmosphere was created, Ms Radschlag approved emotions. For Ms Radschlag the incident is still very present, this became clear through a detailed description of event. She explained how shocked she had been after the incident and that she, however, had wanted to go on working to distract herself. A conversation with an internal psychologist she had refused at this former time. Despite of her personal load she was quite interested in the offender. Indeed she could not comprehend Egon's behaviour since he lost his apprenticeship training position through it and through the imprisonment had obstructed his future. During the hearing she had had, however, the feeling he would regret his action - unlike his abettors. Meanwhile, because of Egon´s imprisonment, she put aside her initial objections Egon would use the TOA exclusively for strategic reasons. She liked that he had made an effort for a meeting despite the fact that his imprisonment was over and seemed to have realized what he had done. She had great fear to meet him but nevertheless wanted it to happen. She hoped that by meeting him and talking to him the load would maybe be taken from her shoulders and that she can at last finish with the happened.
After this conversation with Ms Radschlag, Egon was reported the development. He seemed very relieved since he was worrying over whether the victim would be willing to do a TOA.

Finally a meeting between Ms Radschlag and Egon was arranged. At this first meeting the strain of the two of them could be sensed clearly. Their looks did not meet. Shame, insecurity, rage and fear filled the room. In the progress of the conversation however a common level developed. Both pages became accustomed to the situation, provided confidence and became increasingly more self-confident. An intimate conversation developed during which both pages opened up and talked about their experiences, their feelings and their handling with the event honestly. Egon describes how the relation to his mother has suffered from the happened and how he has been ashamed - after he put himself into the situation of Ms Radschlag - and how difficult it now is sitting face to face with her. Ms Radschlag on the other hand reports from her handling with the psychological problems, from the fear while walking home alone at night and the quarrels she had with her husband because of the incident. Both pay great attention to each other and express huge respect due to their respective frankness and sincerity during this meeting. Concluding they shake hands without being asked and look each other into the eyes for a long time. The relief is to be sensed clearly and on demand they both declare that they feel much better now. After the result of the meeting was set out in a written arbitration agreement and given the two of them, they leave the room together.

After the feedback was sent to Egon´s probation officer and to the execution of sentence chamber, the case has officially been closed.

January update from the UK

Tue, 01 Feb 2011 00:00:01 +0100

In January, Dr. Gavrielides, completed the MEREPS fieldwork with practitioners, policymakers, prison staff and young people who had experienced RJ while in prison. The findings are now been introduced into a UK report which will be launched later in 2011 and presented in Budapest at the end of the MEREPS project in 2012.

The UK report focuses on the use of restorative justice in the juvenile secure estate and attempts both a descriptive and a critical account of existing practices. The evidence based recommendations are aimed at national and European policy bodies, researchers and strategy analysts.

Furthermore, IARS and ICCCR of Open Unviersity have agreed to hold 2 further expert seminars on restorative justice. Further information can be obtained from http://www.iars.org.uk/content/drawing-together-research-policy-and-practice-restorative-justice-0

In other news, the UK coalition government continues to encourage the use of restorative justice. Several positive comments were made in Parliament while the Ministry of Justice and Home Office are working with stakeholders and the restorative justice movement on several initiatives including standards and accreditation.

December 2010 IARS MEREPS Update

Tue, 04 Jan 2011 00:00:01 +0100

On the 7th December 2010, the UK government published its Sentencing Green Paper, announcing its intentions for key reforms in the adult and juvenile sentencing philosophy and practice. The consultation period will close on 4th March 2011 and IARS will work hard with its partners and members to feed into this unique opportunity.

Among other things, the Green paper highlights police-led street restorative justice (RJ) as a diversion from caution/reprimand for low level crime and anti-social behaviour, diversionary RJ for adult and young offenders, and RJ pre-sentence for adult offenders. IARS has championed RJ since its creation and provided evidence based arguments to government and international fora.

The Ministerial Foreword in the Green paper noted: "There is much work to do in a criminal justice system whish is so badly in need of reform ... We will simplify and reduce a great mass of legislation ... We will put a much stronger emphasis on compensation for victims ... I think it is right to describe these reforms as both radical and realistic".

On other news, the IARS fieldwork on the use of restorative justice with incarcerated young people has been completed. Dr. Gavrielides is now writing up the findings of the research.

Rights & Restorative within Youth Justice

Thu, 23 Dec 2010 00:00:01 +0100

The book is edited by Dr. Gavrielides and published by de sitter Publications, Canada. The project is carried out under the auspices of Independent Academic Research Studies (IARS), Open University and Mount Royal University.

Prof. Winterdyk (Director, Centre for Criminology and Justice Research Department of Justice Studies, Mount Royal University, Canada) is acting as the Chair of the Editorial Board). Other contributors include Prof. John Braithwate, Prof. Daniel van Ness, Prof. Lode Walgrave, Prof. Colin Harvey and Prof. Tim Newburn.

WHAT IS RESTORATIVE JUSTICE?

Restorative Justice is an ethos with practical goals, among which to restore harm by including affected parties in a (direct or indirect) encounter and a process of understanding through voluntary and honest dialogue.

Restorative justice adopts a fresh approach to conflicts and their control, retaining at the same time certain rehabilitative goals" (Gavrielides 2007)

THE BOOK'S KEY OBJECTIVE & AUDIENCE

The key objective of the book is to bring together the disciplines of human rights and restorative justice as these have been used, or could be used, for youth justice. Through an international, comparative and multi-disciplinary manner, the book aims to push the barriers for both restorative justice and human rights opening up the political and policy debate on penal reform for youth justice.

Audience: Senior-level capstone courses and upper-level seminars that review and expand on key areas of study in law, human rights, criminal justice, criminology and political science departments. The book is also intended for policymakers, practitioners and campaigners.

For more information contact the Editor, Dr. Theo Gavrielides, Director IARS, T.Gavrielides@iars.org.uk Unit 3b, Park Place, 10-12 Lawn Lane, London SW8 1UD, UK.

INFORMATION FOR AUTHORS

Experts in the fields of restorative justice, human rights, youth justice and comparative criminal justice interested in contributing to the volume are encouraged to get in touch with the Editor, Dr. Gavrielides.

Authors who have already been selected will need to download the Editorial Guidelines from here

The draft Table of Contents can be downloaded from here

November 2010 IARS update and Press Release

Mon, 06 Dec 2010 00:00:01 +0100

On 22nd November, IARS and the International Centre for Comparative Criminological Research (ICCCR) at Open University held an expert seminar titled “Drawing together research, policy and practice for restorative justice”. Some of the country's leading experts in restorative justice, officials, Youth Justice Board and NGOs came together to discuss current trends, gaps and strategic steps for implementation, policy and research.

Dr. Theo Gavrielides, IARS Director and Visiting Senior Research Fellow at ICCCR said: "It is not often that restorative justice practitioners are given the space to join academics and policy makers and on an equal and independent footing set the agenda and agree a way forward. I am pleased that IARS and ICCCR provided a platform for a much needed discussion on the gap that needs to be bridged between the restorative justice theory, practice and policy".

Home Office, Youth Justice Board, Victim Support, Ministry of Justice, Prison Reform Trust, Probation and several universities were among the organisations represented at the seminar. Keynote speakers, Prof. Gerry Johnstone (Hull University), Ben Lyon (Register of RJ Practitioners) and Graham Robb (Youth Justice Board) spoke about gaps in restorative justice research, practice and policy and identified ways forward.

The consensus was that restorative justice is ready to be put to far broader use, and yet more resources are dedicated to theorising rather than actual implementation. Despite encouraging evidence and millions of pounds spent on government pilots and research projects, restorative justice remains in the shadow of the law and dependent on the good will of community mediators and the voluntary sector. Police officers, prison staff and other public sector providers who believe in the value of restorative justice often implement it with no support from the top or a long term strategy.

Future seminars are to be held by IARS and ICCCR while a full report is expected to be published soon. For more information contact Dr. Theo Gavrielides (T.Gavrielides@iars.org.uk), Tel 020 8133 8317, Office Mob: 07970924535

*****

IARS is a youth-led social policy think-tank with expertise in restorative justice, equality, human rights, crime and public legal education

ICCCR is a research centre at Open University. It is a multi disciplinary and cross faculty initiative drawing on expertise from Social Sciences Health and Social Care.

To download the seminar brief click here
To download Dr. Gavrielides' presentation click here
To download Prof. Johnstone's presentation click here
To download Ben Lyon's presentation click here
To download Graham Robb's presentation click here

As a charity, we rely on our members and service users' kind contributions. As grant funding is becoming particularly difficult, to enable us to continue delivering our services, we kindly ask that you donate towards our cause. The smallest amount can go a long way. For example, for £10 you can keen a marginalised young person in placement and education at IARS for a week. You can do this NOW by clicking here ! Help us make a difference.

October 2010 IARS update on the UK MEREPS project

Mon, 01 Nov 2010 00:00:01 +0100

The research for the UK MEREPS project is well under way. The desk research is now complete for the development of the discussion guides and questionnaires for the qualitative fieldwork which is due to take place November 2010 - February 2011. The fieldwork will focus on young victims and offenders, as well as restorative justice practioners and policy makers. Click here to download the project brief.

As part of the MEREPS project and in order to inform the qualitative data of the UK project, IARS is organising an expert seminar in partnership with the International Centre for Comparative Criminological Research at Open University. This high profile event is due to take place on 22nd November at the Open University London campus and is titled "Drawing together research, policy and practice for restorative justice".

Forty restorative justice experts, leading academics and practitoners have confirmed attendance. The event will open with a keynote speech by Dr. Theo Gavrielides (IARS Director and lead for the UK MEREPS project). Ben Lyon (senior restorative justice practioner) will then speak about current challenges and opportunities for restorative justice practices followed by Prof. Gerry Johnston (Prof. of Law, Hull University) who will speak about current research gaps in restorative justice. Graham Robb (Board member, Youth Justice Board) will then speak about the current policy and institutional framework for restorative justice.

The 4 hour event will allow the experts to exchange information, ideas and best practices in this very critical time for the restorative justice movement. For more information please contact Dr. Theo Gavrielides Since this event is by invitation only, material from the conference will be made available in early December. A report is also going to follow with key findings and recommendations from the expert discussion.

In other news, IARS celebrated a big milestone in its history as we moved into our own premises in Vauxchall. Forty IARS friends and members attended our office warming party on 1 October. To read the full story and see the video from the party go to http://www.iars.org.uk/content/iars-event-marks-next-milestone-charitys-future-video-link

Prison-mediation training by Dr. Marian Liebmann (UK) for the prison staff of the Balassagyarmat Prison within the framework of the MEREPS project (19-21 October)

Thu, 28 Oct 2010 17:50:00 +0200

The almost 30 participants included the warden and the executive of Balassagyarmat Prison, educators, inspectors, psychologists and other staff from the prison, the educators of Tököl Juvenile Prison, social workers, civilians, teachers, etc.

The 24 hours long interactive training that went on three days focused especially on the applicability of the theory and practices of restorative justice in the prison settings, being the first and only training in Hungary to do so. The training included several role plays by which participants became able to facilitate and mediate conflicts between inmates, between inmates and their victims as well as between inmates and their family/community members. By the end of the training the prison staff created the restorative justice protocol within the prison, ie. the systemic framework within which a one year long pilot project will operate in the prison until November 2011. By this protocol, victims, offenders and their families of serious crimes will have the opportunity to take part in different dialogue processes.These encounters will help victims in asking their questions, requesting reparation, apology and maybe forgiving, while offenders will have the chance to face their responsibility in an active way, offer reparation and apologise to those who they have harmed.

This pilot aims to help the involved victims and offenders influenced by a serious crime to put the suffered trauma behind themselves, and move on in their lives.

At the end of the training, all of the participants filled out evaluation sheets about the training. The results of these sheets show, that 80% of the participants were very satisfied with the training (5 points out of five), while 20% were satisfied (4 points out of 5).

The material of the training will be available in the future, both in Hungarian and in English.

On the 21st of October, 2010, a press conference was held about the training, with the participation of MTI (Hungarian News Agency), Magyar Rádió (the national radio station of Hungary), Magyar Nemzet (a weekly newspaper), Nógrád Megyei Hírlap (a county newspaper) and the local televison.

The press report of the conference can be downloaded in Hungarian here.

*****

Dr Marian Liebmann has worked at a day centre for ex-offenders, with Victim Support, and in the probation service. She was director of Mediation UK for 4 years and projects adviser for 3 years, working on restorative justice issues. Since 1998 she has been working freelance as a consultant and trainer, with Youth Offending Teams, mediation services and prisons in the UK. She has also undertaken work in several African and East European countries, including training 180 victim-offender mediators in Serbia and Montenegro. She is also an art therapist and runs ‘Art and Conflict’ and ‘Art and Anger Management’ workshops. In 2005 she received a special merit award of the Longford Prize for her pioneering work in art therapy, restorative justice and mediation. She has written/ edited 10 books, including Restorative Justice: How It Works. In July 2010 she received her PhD at Bristol University, by published work. Recent restorative justice work has included training residents on a housing estate in South Bristol, research on domestic violence and restorative justice in Cardiff Prison, and three presentations at the UN Crime Congress Ancillary Programme in Brazil in April 2010.

MeRePS- Educational trip to Leuven/Belgium

Thu, 28 Oct 2010 01:00:01 +0200

The exciting thing about realizing a pilot project is for sure to experience the own image of the (ideal) implementation being restricted and measured by the actual circumstances. Concerning the MeRePS Project this means to implement a procedure based on voluntariness, autonomy confidentiality and trust in a strongly hierarchic organised institution. It is obvious that this does not always work frictionless. Beyond that the actual subjects often are re-offenders with long-term criminal careers, the underlying offences are often severe and the victims and their affiliated have experienced much harm. These circumstances are resulting in new challenges for the mediators every day during the case work.

Since four years I work as a trained mediator for criminal cases at the Täter-Opfer-Ausgleich Bremen. The team consists of five diploma (equivalent to master’s degree) psychologists, two attorneys, one social worker/criminologist, three volunteers and about fifteen trainees. Our main working area is the mediation of misdemeanour and medium-serious crimes. Generally also severe crimes can be attended, but in this area police, prosecution and court are quite cautious, so that these are very rare. When initiated by the parties involved (offender or victim), the imprisonment of the offender has been an insuperable obstacle in the case work. Concerning mediation in prison settings no concrete experience data exist in Bremen. Hence an exchange of experience in this area with colleagues is only possible to a limited extent. In Bremen we are indeed lucky to have the possibility to reflect and share our impressions and feelings in supervisions or internal case reviews but mere practical questions can not be answered here.

In Leuven the work with prisoners and their victims is an inherent part of the mediation since ten years. Beyond that diverse professionals (practitioners, scientists etc.) altercate with the subject so as to me, as the responsible mediator in Bremen, there are many things to learn from these (experiences). Due to the great agency of Prof. Dr. Ivo Aertsen (K.U. Leuven Institute of Criminology / Coordinator Research Line on Restorative Justice) I found some competent contact persons very quickly. During my three-day visit in Leuven I was able not only to talk to Prof. Dr. Ivo Aertsen, but also had nice and informative conversations with Mrs. Karolien Marien (Ececutive Officer of the European Forum for Restorative / former Restorative Justice Counsellor in Prison) and the very experienced mediator Kristel Buntinx (Leuven Mediation Service Suggnomé). At this point special thanks to you for your hospitality and the comprehensive information.

By that I learned a lot about the background and the evolutionary history of the victim-offender-mediation in Belgian prisons and got an overview of the European Restorative Justice network with scientists and practitioners. I was especially impressed by the discussions with Kristel Buntinx. She witnessed the very beginnings of the work with prisoners as a mediator and sat out all quarrels with the participants, the public authorities and the prison, all this without loosing her faith for her work. She shared her experiences with me and had some valuable answers to concrete questions (e.g. Who to contact when there are many victims? – all at one time or one after another? Only the severe / misdemeanour crimes? How should a serious offer of an offender to his victim should look like? What kind of restorative measures can be realized during imprisonment? How strong have the victims to be
protected? How can prisoners contact a mediator anonymously? How are first letters to the victims phrased in Leuven? etc.)

Finally I had a guided tour through the local prison in Leuven. In this prison only long-term prisoners convicted of murder, manslaughter, severe robbery etc., are accommodated. Here the severity of the criminal acts do not represent an obstacle to accomplish mediation. The offer of the responsible office (Suggnomè) rather has been appreciated since many years. The direction as well as the responsible civil servants of the prison recognize the positive effect of the victim-offender-mediation for all parties (offender, victim and affiliated) and guarantee good / appropriate working conditions for the employees of Suggnomè. A nice detail here was a small letterbox directly placed within the prison. By that the prisoners have the possibility to contact the mediators discrete and anonym. This provides a low-threshold possibility especially to deal (via mediation), with internal conflicts (between the prisoners themselves, but also between prisoners and prison staff).

Altogether I was able to collect many new supplementary or only approving / confirming impressions and information. If and how far these perceptions can be implemented in Bremen remains to be seen. For sure it can be noted that with the MeRePS project we are on the right way.

Tim Steudel

Täter-Opfer-Ausgleich Bremen e.V.
Sögestr. 62/64
28195 Bremen
Germany
Phone ++49 - (0)421-79 28 28 - 95
Fax ++49 - (0)421-79 411 20
For more information please visit our website www.toa-bremen.de http://www.toa-bremen.de

Literature analysis

Thu, 28 Oct 2010 01:00:01 +0200

In recent time the Restorative Justice approach has become popular as an important alternative to the traditional justice system. In addition scientists are discussing the potential and possibilities of integrating the approach into prison settings.

In regard to the last mentioned aspect, the European project, MEREPS, identifies the opportunities of Restorative Justice on the basis of diverse methods. One important method is the analysis of the existing literature relating to the topic.

As a student research assistant at the Institute for Police and Security Research (IPOS) I am currently evaluating the present literature.

First of all, the IPOS research team selected relevant documents referring to the topic ‘Restorative Justice and Mediation in prisons’. The following step was the analysis of the single studies/articles resulting in excerpts. This process is still not completed and will be continued in the subsequent weeks. However, a first short statement is possible.
There are circa 30 articles which will be analysed. That indicates that there is still a gap of research. In addition there is little information about projects locating in Germany. Despite of this deficit there are some empirical studies evaluating a Mediation/RJ (pilot) project within prison settings.

Presently, more detailed statements can not be given. Further research is necessary to provide more detailed information.

Online petition for restorative justice

Mon, 11 Oct 2010 13:34:00 +0200

LEUVEN, BELGIUM, 22 September 2010

Dear friends of the European Forum for Restorative Justice,

We would like to draw your attention to 2 matters in which your participation is highly needed:

Online Petition
The deadline for the Forum's online petition has been postponed to 15 October 2010. For those of you who are not informed yet: this online petition is addressed to the European Commission and European Parliament, and asks for:
    - Legislative and other initiatives to support a broader implementation of restorative justice in the Member States
    - The necessary resources for the European Forum to continue working on the development of restorative justice

If you didn't sign this petition yet, please do so as soon as possible. It would also be appreciated if you send the link to all your contact persons with a request to sign in order to reach as many people as possible.
You can find the petition on the following link: http://www.petitiononline.com/EFRJ/petition.html

Public consultation by the European Commission on the rights, support and protection of victims of crime and violence

The European Commission has launched a full public consultation on the rights, support and protection of victims of crime and violence. It gives interested parties an opportunity to express their views on how the EU should act to assist victims of crime and violence. Please fill out this public consultation, it will make a difference!

As this is an open consultation, we would like to encourage you to pass this on to anyone you feel would be interested in participating. The deadline is 30 September 2010.

The consultation can be found at the following link: http://ec.europa.eu/justice/news/consulting_public/news_consulting_0053_en.htm

If you have any questions concerning the petition or public consultation, don't hesitate to contact us.

Thanks for your efforts!

    Best wishes,
    The Secretariat of the European Forum

    European Forum for Restorative Justice
    Hooverplein 10
    3000 Leuven - Belgium
    Tel.: 0032 16 32 54 29 0032 16 32 54 29
    Fax: 0032 16 32 54 74
    Website: www.euforumrj.org

„An introduction to the theory and practice of restorative justice” – MEREPS’s professional workshop in the Balassagyarmat Prison

Thu, 07 Oct 2010 12:16:00 +0200

The workshop was opened by Dr. Budai István, the warden of the prison, and after the introduction of the participants the MEREPS Project and the related research was introduced by Dr. Borbala Fellegi, Dr. Tünde Barabás and Dr. SzandraWindt (all three experts are taking part in the MEREPS Project). After a short break, Dr. Borbala Fellegi held a presentation about the restorative approach and the applicable methods.
During the afternoon the participants were introduced to the practice of restorative justice. The documentary „Burning Bridges” was screened and discussed (Moderator: Vidia Negrea, facilitator, Community Service Foundation Hungary), and a former inmate spoke about after-prison experiences and observations.

The composition of the more than 50 participants of the expert workshop was highly varied thus enabling the workshop (as it was originally intended) to be a course of real interdisciplinary work.

During the expert workshop both the MEREPS Project and the Prison, as well as the prison staff got highly positive feedbacks and support concerning the importance of the work. These feedbacks are very important in order to ensure the success of the upcoming pilot project.

Sensitising programme for offenders in the Balassagyarmat Prison

Tue, 05 Oct 2010 12:57:00 +0200

MEREPS's „Zacchaeus programme”, also known internationally as The Sycamore Tree Project® is an intensive 5-8 week in-prison programme that brings groups of crime victims into prison to meet with groups of unrelated offenders. They talk about the effects of crime, the harms it causes, and how to make things right.

The programme was named after the story in Luke 19:1-10 about Jesus and Zacchaeus, a dishonest tax collector. Zacchaeus came to see Jesus but couldn’t get through the crowd. So he climbed a Sycamore Tree to get a better view. Jesus noticed him and stopped to talk. Out of that meeting came something unexpected: Zacchaeus repented and agreed to pay back his victims. Jesus then helped the crowd understand the reconciling power of biblical (restorative) justice.

At the beginning of the programme, the participants had time to get to know each other, and were told the story of Jesus and Zachaeus. After this the participants talked about questions related to the story, compared the story to their own lives, and spoke about what they would have done if they were in the story. This was followed by a group-talk about the effects of crime, and taking responsibility with documentary-watching and a break at the end. After the break, the participants talked about meeting the victims, making amends, fining peace, then each of them told the others about what he/she learned during the programme, how the programme helped him/her.

At the end of the programme, Borbala Fellegi, executive of the MEREPS-leading Foresee Research Group held a presentation about the possible effects of the upcoming pilot project on the participants’ lives.

The one-day workshop was led by Csilla Katona, facilitator, representing the Prison Fellowship Hungary, and was assisted by some colleagues from the National Institute of Criminology and the Community Service Foundation Hungary.

During the programme, the experts experienced great openness, sensitivity, and motivation from the participants’. Many of the participants said that they never even thought about these kinds of things before. Also adds to the success of the programme, that numerous inmates siganlized, that they would be open for a mediation meeting with their victims, should the other side be willing as well.

The flyer of Sycamore Tree Project® can be downloaded here.

September 2010 MEREPS update from IARS

Mon, 27 Sep 2010 01:00:01 +0200

September was a busy month for the MEREPS UK project. Dr. Gavrielides attended the European Society of Crimonology annual conference that was held in Liege. There, he presented the interim findings of the UK based MEREPS project and carried out fieldwork with leading proponents of restorative justice. The UK research focuses on the use of restorative justice in juvenile secure estates. It is carried out as part of the larger EU funded project "Mediation and restorative justice in prison settings".

This high profile event brought together over 600 criminologists from around the world to present their latest research. Several sessions on restorative justice were held. Dr. Gavrielides chaired one of the sessions focusing on pushing the barriers of restorative justice. To visit the conference webpage with details on the presentations conference click here. For Gavrielides presentation, click here.

Moreover, the qualitative research is underway. The interviewed sample of practitioners, policy makers, victims and offenders has been identified. The fieldwork will be carried out over the next fews months. If you would like to know more contact Dr. Theo Gavrielides for more information.

Finally, a number of MEREPS newsletter publications have been produced. Click here for the monthly newsletter with information on MEREPS and IARS policy and research activities on restorative justice and here for the regular detailed newsletter.

IARS' restorative justice work presented at the European Society of Criminology conference

Sun, 29 Aug 2010 01:00:01 +0200

The presentations will focus on Gavrielides' forthcoming publication "Rights and Restoration within youth justice" an edited volume of 18 chapters written by leading academics from around the world and due to be published in 2012 by de Sitter Publications (Canada). Findings will include the recent work on restorative justice with domestic violence cases and the application of mediation in prison settings.

Restorative justice is again gathering momentum both in the UK and Europe, and it is expected that this will interest will continue over the years. Click here for the full programme. For more information contact Dr. Theo Gavrielides or visit the conference website

August 2010 update

Sun, 29 Aug 2010 01:00:01 +0200

IARS' UK MEREPS project moves onto the research phase "Using restorative justice with incacerated young people". The UK project is carried out by Dr. Theo Gavrielides, IARS Director and Senior Research Fellow at Open University. It aims to investigate the usage of restorative justice with sentenced and incarcerated young people below the age of 18 in England and Wales. The UK is one of the MEREPS country partners that has some experience in the application of restorative justice within secure settings. The UK based research and policy project aims to complement the evaluation that is taking place in Germany and the parallel research that is being undertaken in Hungary so as to allow cross learning and information exchange.

The fieldwork will be carried out over the next fews months focusing on practitioners, policy makers and incacerated young people. Contact Dr. Theo Gavrielides for more information

MEREPS Workshops at the European Forum’s 6th Biennial Conference in Bilbao (17-19 June 2010)

Mon, 02 Aug 2010 15:13:00 +0200

The MEREPS Project was also invited to the Conference to hold its international seminar. The two workshops held by project representatives signaled the first personal introduction of the project towards a professional audience.

The roughly 100 people who attended the workshops represented more than 20 countries. They could hear presentations from the MEREPS project staff members, as well as guest-presentations held by Els Gossens, a mediation expert from Belgium, Vidia Negrea, a conference facilitator from Hungary and Jo OMahoney with Steve Tong, researchers from the UK.

Notes of each workshop were taken by Radoslava Karabasheva (Workshop 1) and Frank Hengeveld (Workshop 2). These can be downloaded by clicking on the names of the workshops..
The abstracts of the presentations can be read later on this article, with links to the full papers provided for each at the end of the abstract.

The workshops were highly interactive with lots of feedback, questions, answers, and a fully involved audience. This confirmed for the representatives of the MEREPS project that this kind of research and experimental work is indeed very much needed in order to gain a better insight into applicability of RJ in prisons.

The Conference covered three main themes:

1) The work of the practitioners (mediators and facilitators)
Restorative justice in different countries

At the heart of restorative justice is a dialogue between the victim and the offender, the main stakeholders, with support from a mediator or facilitator. The stakeholders are frequently anxious about what lies ahead, often not knowing what to expect or how they may feel when they meet each other. The mediator/facilitator is the one building trust, facilitating communication and helping to move the process forward towards an acceptable outcome: an agreement, reparation and sometimes - reconciliation.

There were a series of workshops, with emphasis on the work of the practitioners, presenting and ’visualising’ how the process looks in the different countries. This wias done mainly through reenacting actual examples of restorative justice processes, discussing and comparing practices from different countries. The comparison enabled more detailed analysis and discussions of potentials and limitations of organisational and methodological approaches.

2) Cooperation with legal practitioners

A way to increase the involvement of judges, prosecutors and police
From the beginning, the closest cooperating partners for restorative justice practitioners have been professionals within criminal justice and legal agencies. This cooperation is necessary in implementing and developing restorative justice. Restorative justice practitioners and legal practitioners need to support themselves and each other to increase the use of restorative justice in Europe. One of the aims of the conference was to provide an opportunity for professionals from the different criminal justice and legal agencies to discuss from their own perspective the benefits of restorative justice.

3) Conferencing – A way forward for restorative justice in Europe

A model of restorative justice called ’conferencing’ is emerging in Europe. This has already been developed quite extensively in other parts of the world such as New Zealand, Australia or the USA. Conferencing may include, besides the offender, the victim and the facilitator, also members of their families and/or friends, and other members of the local community such as the social services, lawyers and the police. The stakeholders attending speak about how crime has affected their lives and contribute to an acceptable solution for the victim, the offender and the community.
The preliminary results of a project on conferencing run by the European Forum for Restorative Justice and funded by the European Commission were presented at the Conference. The project focuses on how conferencing practices could be developed further in Europe. The Conference presentation included an overview of conferencing practices in the world and the possible challenges of its implementation within a continental European legal and socio-cultural context. This provided a basis for discussion on innovative restorative justice practices.

The official gallery of the conference can be found here.
Other pictures of the conference can be found here.

The following presentations were held in the MEREPS Project’s workshops:

Applying mediation and RJ in the prison settings: overview of the MEREPS project by Borbala Fellegi (Hungary)

Mediation and Restorative Justice in the Prison Settings (MEREPS -www.mereps.foresee.hu) is an international project between 2009 and 2012 funded by the European Commission‘s Criminal Justice Programme. The Consortium in partnership with the European Forum for RJ involves partner organisations from the UK, Germany and led by Hungarian Foresee Research Group together with the Hungarian National Institute of Criminology.
The project involves researchers, practitioners, criminal justice professionals and policy makers from the countries involved, enabling them to participate in an interdisciplinary, intersectoral and international collaborative process. The project combines theoretical (desk research) and action research (conducting and evaluating a pilot project as „action research”, including training seminars) elements, together with fieldwork (interview-based survey).
This presentation, on the one hand, provided an overview of the project‘s main objectives, structure, activities and results so far. On the other hand, it created the basis for a fruitful discussion between the other presenters and participants to discuss the main practical and methodological issues concerning the applicability of RJ in prisons.

Borbala FELLEGI (PhD, MA, MPhil) is a researcher in criminology and social policy, founder and executive director of the Foresee Research Group. Previously she coordinated an AGIS project on behalf of the European Forum for Restorative Justice. She has been working as consultant for the Council of Europe, the UNODC, the National Crime Prevention Board and the Office of Justice in Hungary. She regularly gives lectures and trainings on restorative justice at various universities. On behalf of the Foresee Research Group she is in charge of Hungarian and EU programmes researching the potential application of mediation in community conflicts and in the prison settings. Her publications and activities are available in detail on www.fellegi.hu and on www.foresee.hu.

The presentation can be downloaded here.

The background and the first results of an empirical research in prisons by Szandra Windt (Hungary)

In the frame of the MEREPS project (which is founded by the EU) the National Institute of Criminology has a great opportunity to research the attitudes of juveniles, adult inmates, correctional staff, policy makers, legislators and other key stakeholders towards RJ. Main motivations, concerns and needs were explored through the interview-based research in order to tailor future policy developments to the specific needs and attitudes of the key stake holders.
The research was conducted in two different types of prisons: in a jail for adults and in another one for juveniles. It means that we had some problems with the questionnaire and the whole preparation of our survey: how to select the inmates (mostly those who committed serious crimes), how to ask them about their victims, offences and feelings in connections with them. In the frame of the quantitative research we filled 200 questionnaires with the inmates and beside this made about 50 in-depth interview with inmates (on how they solve their conflicts, and on the attitudes towards the RJ) as well. We asked jailers, psychologists, teachers (about 50 staff members) who work in the researched prisons: about their feelings in connection with the RJ, how they solve the problems in the jails (problems among the inmates, conflicts with them etc.).
While both the quantitative and qualitative research have been finished until June: in the presentation there were only some pre-results and experiences of a survey in connection with the attitudes of RJ in prison.

Dr. Szandra WINDT, has studied sociology at the Pázmány Péter University, and has got a PhD thesis in Criminology. She is a researcher at the National Institute of Criminology since 2002. She is a sociologist of settlement. She is dealing with situational crime prevention, postponement of the accusation and the possibilities of mediation.

The presentation can be downloaded here.

The possibility of RJ in prison settings (The first issues of the MEREPS project in two Hungarian prisons) by Andrea Tünde Barabás (Hungary)

In Hungarian criminal law it is not the aim of the penal system to foster reconciliation between parties and nor is it suitable for it to do so. Mediation as part of the penal process became available in 2007. There are, however, legal limits to the use of mediation, e.g. it can only be used in crimes punishable by imprisonment of up to five years, in other words it cannot be used in the case of serious crimes. The last stage at which victim-offender conflict-resolution can be carried out is the court of first instance; later, including during the execution of sentence, it cannot be applied. Victims of serious crimes and imprisoned offenders do rarely have the possibility to participate in any restorative programme and gain from its benefits. Nevertheless, its importance is unquestionable, since serious crimes do have the most significant impact on victims and offenders. Moreover, as several research showed, the positive effect of RJ can be the most visible in cases of more serious crimes.
In 2009 Hungarian criminologists and their international partners have obtained support from the European Union Criminal Justice Programme for empirical research in the field of the mediation and RJ in prison settings (MEREPS Project) in international cooperation. The National Institute of Criminology (OKRI) in Hungary is the professional leader of the project. In 2010 OKRI is carrying out quantitative and qualitative empirical research concerning the attitudes of inmates and prison staff towards restorative justice. The presentation dealed with the first results of this survey.

Dr. Andrea TÜNDE BARABÁS studied law at Eötvös Lorand University Budapest. She received a Scholarship for Hungarian Academy of Sciences in 1989-92. In 1992-93 she followed postgraduate studies at the University of Fribourg, Switzerland. Her Ph.D. thesis was a comparative study on alternatives to sanctions and on mediation. Since 1998 she is Head of Division of the National Institute of Criminology.

The presentation can be downloaded here. The pictures included in the presentation were taken by Dr. Andrea Tünde Barabás.

A Belgian mediation story by Els Goossens (Belgium)

In this workshop the audience got a small introduction into the Belgian way of mediating. In Belgium (Flanders) the mediating service handles both minor and serious crimes. The audience got information about the Belgian mediation history, the different forms of mediation and the law.
But most of the time was dedicated to a story of a mediation in a murdercase. The presentation outlined a mediation between the mother of a victim and the offender. Both before and after the trial the mother of the victim and the offender had a face-to-face meeting in a Belgian prison. Through this story the audience got information about:
- the methodology of mediation: various stages of mediation, written agreements, face-to-face meetings, etc.
- the principals of mediation: voluntary, confidence and neutrality
- the possibilities and limitations of mediation in prison settings: the cooperation with the prison, how to accompany a victim to visit a prison, how to assure the aftercare of the offender, etc.
- the role of aid figures for victim and offender
The focus was on best practices, also other examples were discussed.
Els GOOSSENS studied social work in Leuven. For 4 years she worked with youth who live in an institution because they’ve committed crimes or because of their problems at home. Since January 2001 Els Goossens works as a victim–offender mediator for adults in Dendermonde for Suggnomè (Forum for Restorative Justice and Mediation Belgium).

The presentation can be downloaded here (link előadás).

Forgiveness and hope after prison. Family group decision making and family group conferencing in prison setting by Vidia Negrea (Hungary)

The idea of using Family Group Decision Making (FGDM) processes with adult offenders, especially when the crime is combined with drug addiction, was put into practice trough a project initiated in Hungary by probation officers and supported by the National Crime Prevention Board. The Hungarian IIRP affiliate, Community Service Foundation, assisted this project by offering training, consulting and on-site assistance to 80 probation officers all over the country. The aim was to help those who are about to be released from jail or prison, or ex-prisoners to reintegrate into society and support them to start a new life with the support of their immediate social network. However, the experiment showed that more complex support is available, not just for them, but for the offender‘s victimized families. The session offered a brief overview of the methodology and the process of FGDM, presented some of the findings and discussed issues related to the attitudes of professionals as facilitators or participants.

Vidia NEGREA is a clinical psychologist with experience in juvenile delinquency and restorative practices. After spending a year learning about restorative practices while working at CSF (PA.,USA), she founded CSF of Hungary pioneering restorative practices in fields related to troubled youths. She is a trainer and consultant for the International Institute for Restorative Practices (IIRP) in Europe and teaches restorative courses in higher education in Hungary.

The presentation can be downloaded here.

“The more serious the offence, the more powerful the effect?”: An evaluation of VOM in a prison setting by Steve Tong and Jo O‘Mahoney (UK)

Victim-Offender Mediation was recently introduced to the Sheppey Cluster of Prisons in Kent (UK) with the aim of promoting healing for the victim, improving offender empathy and remorse, and enabling offenders to reintegrate back into society more effectively. A longer term aim is to promote a reduction in re-offending. At present there has been little research evidence regarding the potential and limitations of victim-offender mediation and restorative conferencing in a prison context within the UK. This paper presented interim results of independent evaluation research conducted by a multi-disciplinary team at The Department of Law and Criminal Justice Studies at Canterbury Christ Church University from July 2008. Working closely with practitioners, this ongoing evaluation involves collecting observational data from restorative justice awareness training for prison officers and qualitative interviews with those involved in the mediation process. In particular, it has focused upon the perceptions of victims, offenders and other key stakeholders (mediators, offender managers and prison supervisors) and their experiences of the mediation process. Quantitative data collected as part of this evaluation will be included in the next stage of the research.

Dr Steve TONG is a Principal Lecturer at Canterbury Christ Church University (UK). Dr Tong‟s research interests include restorative justice, policing and police training, performance measurement and qualitative research methods. He is currently Project Leader of a multidisciplinary team evaluating the use of Victim-Offender Mediation for adult prisoners. Email: steve.tong@canterbury.ac.uk

Dr Jo O‟MAHONEY is Programme Director and Senior Lecturer at Canterbury Christ Church University (UK). Dr O‟Mahoney‟s research interests include restorative justice, young people and crime and criminal justice policy and practice. She is currently working on the Prisons project with Dr Tong and involved in the Departmental Mediation Clinic.
Email: jo.omahoney@canterbury.ac.uk

The presentation can be downloaded here.

The website of the European Forum for Restorative Justice can be reached here.

Huikahi Restorative Circles: A Public Health Approach for Reentry Planning

Sun, 01 Aug 2010 12:22:00 +0200

The process was originally called Restorative Circles, but was renamed Huikahi Restorative Circles to distinguish Hawaii’s reentry planning process from other restorative processes. In Hawaiian, hui means group, and kahi means individual. Together the word huikahi, for purposes of this process, signifies individuals coming together to form a covenant. The addition of Huikahi to the name was a result of the input of a Native Hawaiian prison warden.

While the modern restorative justice movement is about 30 years old, many trace its roots back to “most of human history for perhaps all the world’s peoples” (Braithwaite, 2002, p. 5). Circle processes are a fundamental practice of the restorative justice movement (Zehr, 2002), and Peter Senge, co-founder of the MIT Organizational Learning Center, believes “no indigenous culture has yet been found that does not have the practice of sitting in a circle and talking” (Isaacs, 1999, p. xvi).

Today research confirms that restorative justice is an evidence-based practice that reduces criminal recidivism (Sherman & Strang, 2007), and there is a growing movement to use restorative practices in reentry for incarcerated people returning to the community (Bazemore & Maruna, 2009).

While restorative justice provides the theoretical underpinning for the Huikahi Circles, its facilitators utilize solution-focused brief therapy language during the process. Solution-focused therapy acknowledges that a therapeutic process “happens within language and language is what therapists and clients use to do therapy” (de Shazer, 1994, p. 3). In this way, language is used to help people discover their inherent strengths and establish their goals and ways to achieve them. Insoo Kim Berg, a co-founder of solution-focused brief therapy, assisted in the design of the Huikahi Circle process.

The full article was published in Volume 74 Number 1 of the Federal Probation Journal. Also available on the internet, here.

July 2010 Update from MEREPS UK Partner IARS

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 01:00:01 +0200

This debate was complemented with the publication of a new report "Time for A Fresh Start" encouraging the use of restorative justice with juveniles. The Independent Commission on Youth Crime and Antisocial Behaviour reports that restorative justice in Northern Ireland should provide the model for major changes to the youth justice system. The commission, which carried out an 18-month study into alternative responses to youth crime, concludes that restorative meetings known as "youth conferencing" are the way to deliver better justice for the victims of crime, while cutting re-offending rates and custody numbers. Gavrielides, IARS Director said "I am very pleased with the news. Another evidence based report documenting the potential and effectiveness of restorative justice. I hope that the current political, policy and economic climate works in favour of restorative justice this time". To read Gavrielides statement in full click here.

On 2nd July, Dr. Gavrielides, project leader for the UK side of the EU funded MEREPS project spoke at the UK College of Mediators conference at South Bank University. The conference titled "Tales from the Edge" was attended by leading mediators and researchers and focused on the issues of accreditation, standards and innovative practice.

Dr. Gavrielides gave a presentation on restorative justice covering issues such as definitions, cost-benefit analysis of restorative justice as well as the need to push the barriers for mediation and other restorative justice practices. Dr Gavrielides spoke about MEREPS and other innovative restorative justice programmes to argue that innovation and accreditation/ standards are complementary and not at odds. To read the presentation click here. For the programme click here. MEREPS is funded by the EU.

On 27 July, Dr. Gavrielides also attended the Restorative Justice Consortium annual conference "Creative a Restorative Capital". There he gave an update of IARS and MEREPS activities on restorative justice.

Meanwhile, the MEREPS research on the use of mediation and other restorative justice programmes in juvenile institutions continues successfully. The research project plan which will be published next month includes in-depth case studies with juveniles who have received mediation as part of their sentence for committing a serious crime such as hate offences.

Finally, Dr. Gavrielides and Prof. Artinopoulou submitted a paper for publication titled "Restorative justice with cases of violence against women".