Members can apply to take part in one of the 8 Working Groups. Among these, the first 5 are continuation of already existing working groups that will be coordinated by senior EFRJ members in a more independent way from the Secretariat (see here the list of the current Working Groups).
Environmental Restorative Justice
This Working Group focuses on applying restorative justice to socio-environmental issues in response to the growing challenges of climate change. The group collaborates with EFRJ members to develop practical tools, conduct research, and support organisations and practitioners. Past key accomplishments include policy papers, a practice guide, and ongoing case studies. This group plans to expand its efforts through translation, training, and hypothetical or actual application of restorative justice in diverse environmental contexts, aligning with the UN 2030 agenda. The group is attractive to climate activists, community leaders, and experts in corporate crimes and environmental harm.
Restorative Schools
This Working Group seeks to address the integration of restorative practices in educational settings. Focusing on school culture, community engagement, and student well-being, it works with EFRJ members and educational bodies to promote practices that reduce exclusion, encourage dialogue, and build healthy relationships within the community of schools and other educational institutions. The group’s initiatives will include online seminars, workshops, and collaborations with other organisations (e.g. UNICEF). The group is attractive for educators, teachers, youth workers, school directors, child participation experts and others interested in fostering inclusive, trauma-informed, and equitable educational environments.
Gender-Based Violence
This Working Group seeks to advance the application of restorative justice in cases of gender-based violence. Through publications, events, consultancies and advocacy, the group aims to address misunderstandings and barriers that hinder the application of restorative justice to cases of gender-based violence. This work is relevant for women organisations, LGBTQ+ organisations, victim support services, law enforcement institutions, and other stakeholders (e.g. those working with high risk sex offenders, or experienced in intimate patterns violence). One of the main goals is to ensure that survivors’ voices are centred in restorative justice practices and beyond.
Restorative Cities
This Working Group promotes the development of restorative practices in urban areas to foster social cohesion and reduce polarisation. By supporting knowledge exchanges among municipalities in Europe, Oceania, North America and Asia, the group hopes to inspire communities to address conflict and harm constructively. Restorative cities bring together local administrations, community leaders, law enforcement institutions, civil society organisations, educational institutions and other relevant stakeholders who cooperate to create safe, inclusive, and just spaces through restorative principles embedded within the city’s social fabric. This group aims to continue to develop formal spaces for such knowledge sharing.
Institutions & organisations
This Working Group explores the application of restorative justice within organisational settings, focusing on issues of institutional abuse, deviance, and error. By examining restorative justice from a unique perspective on institutions, the group provides insights into complex relationships and responses in various contexts, from schools to workplaces. Previous research and practice development highlight the relevance of restorative approaches in fostering ethical and supportive institutional cultures. This Working Group aims to continue exploring restorative justice’s application and developing good practice by involving a wide range of professionals.
Imprisonment
This Working Group, focusing on imprisonment as a temporary condition, aims to address restorative justice in and beyond prison. It aims to facilitate rehabilitative processes that connect individuals within prison systems to the wider community, promoting awareness, creating opportunities and facilitating relationships with the wider community. The approach of the group aims to emphasise a holistic, community-centred approach to justice, with collaboration among stakeholders to bridge the transition from incarceration to social reintegration with restorative justice as a crucial part of the process. The group is attractive for those working with people living in closed institutions, as well as those supporting victims to engage in restorative dialogues in prisons.
Transitional Justice
This Working Group will focus on closing the gap between the fields of restorative and transitional justice. The group will explore restorative justice in conflict-affected and post-conflict settings, seeking to advance reconciliation, reparations, and reintegration. It aims to build on existing scholarship and practice to develop approaches that support peace processes and societal healing. The group aims at creating practical outcomes and policies that address the complexities of modern- and post-conflict environments, aiming to deepen the impact of restorative justice in transitional justice contexts and provide meaningful support to those affected by conflict through informed policy. The group targets restorative-oriented experiences with individuals and communities affected by large-scale conflicts, mass-victimisation and acts of extreme violence. Practitioner involvement and on-the-ground expertise in fostering restoration and accountability are crucial to translating theoretical frameworks into meaningful practices for peacebuilding that will have a significant impact on reducing boundaries between divided communities.
Restorative Justice and the Law
This Working Group will examine the legal aspects of restorative justice, focusing on its relationship with the criminal justice system. By addressing gaps and challenges identified in recent EU projects, the group hopes to contribute to understanding restorative justice from a legal rights perspective and explore its integration into criminal procedures. The group seeks to reframe justice goals, promote restorative programs as a core element in the criminal justice process, and encourage a mindset shift towards a restorative model of law. The group is relevant for legal practitioners (e.g. judges, lawyers) as well as academics and policymakers interested in the intersections between restorative justice and law.