Poznań 2026

• What does restorative justice change at the personal, institutional, and societal levels?
• How can we know, show, and communicate these changes respectfully and effectively?
• How can we measure and evaluate restorative justice in ways that align with its core values?
• Whose voices are included or excluded in our assessments and storytelling?
• In what ways might restorative justice reinforce existing power structures?
• How do we influence practice, policy, and public understanding together?

In order to plan your trip accordingly, please find below a draft agenda of the 3 day conference (incl. pre-conference events). As usual, the EFRJ conference includes plenary sessions and about 8 parallel workshop sessions, as well as networking moments and local field trips. 

This conference seeks to engage a diverse group of experts (+/- 350 participants), including:

• People with lived experience of restorative justice and/or criminal justice and/or victim support;
• Restorative justice practitioners, such as dialogue facilitators, victim-offender mediators, and circle keepers;
• Academics and researchers, especially those using narrative, participatory or mixed methods or contributing to the theoretical and ethical development of restorative justice;
• Restorative justice service managers, especially those working to strengthen the quality of their programmes and evaluation systems, and more broadly the organisational performance;
• Policymakers and institutional leaders, for example, those seeking to understand what forms of evidence and narratives can inform and drive meaningful policy change;
• Legal professionals and justice system stakeholders, such as judges, prosecutors, lawyers, probation officers, and prison staff;
• Community leaders, educators, youth workers, artists and cultural practitioners involved in justice, social cohesion, dialogue and/or peacebuilding efforts;
• Donors, funders and philanthropic partners, for example, those exploring how investments in restorative justice can generate measurable and lasting social impact;
• Journalists, media professionals and communication experts, especially those who shape public understanding and discourse around justice, conflict and social change;
• Advocacy groups and NGOs, especially those involved in victims’ rights, offender rehabilitation, anti-carceral movements, justice reforms, or community-based approaches to harm and accountability;
• Skeptics and critics of restorative justice, especially those committed to challenging assumptions and fostering constructive dialogue.

The 13th International Conference of the European Forum for Restorative Justice will take place in the city of Poznań, one of Poland's oldest cities, located in the heart of Europe between Warsaw and Berlin. For its strategic position, Poznań has historically been a crossroads and meeting point for diverse cultures, ideas, and movements.

Poznań has a vibrant local network of restorative justice advocates, including the municipality, police and probation services, libraries, schools, university community and civil society organisations. This strong foundation makes Poznań an ideal setting to be the heart and capital of restorative justice in 2026.

The conference is organised in collaboration with SWPS University and the European Mediation Institute (EMI). Our core local organising team is composed of Aleksandra Dopierała and Piotr Jóźwiak (SWPS) and Marceli Kwaśniewski (EMI).

The event will be hosted within the premises of the Faculty of Psychology and Law at SWPS University. To know more about this university, click here. 

Addresses (walking distance between the two venues: 450 m / 7min walk)

• Plenaries (auditorium): Collegium Iuridicum Novum, Al. Niepodległości 53, 61-714 Poznań, Poland
• Workshops (8 seminar rooms): Poznań Campus of SWPS University, Kutrzeby 10, 61-719 Poznań, Poland