Restorative Justice and Prisons

Module 1 - Understanding prison realities

In prison, the context, culture, structure influences every aspect of living or working in prison. We will combine personal experiences with scientific knowledge and work with the narratives of prisoners, as well as with these of the participants.

Module 2 - Restorative justice: transcending the prison walls

Prison and restorative justice have a challenging relationship. We will analyse the risks, possibilities, and opportunities of restorative justice as a concept with values, standards and practices in a prison society.

Module 3 - Restorative justice in prison from a stakeholders’ perspective

We will address the question of why restorative justice in prison can be of interest of all stakeholders in prison.  We will pay attention to the perspective of the prison governor, prison staff, social organisations, visitors, victim and local community. 

Module 4 - Doing restorative practices in prison
We will work on the dynamics of establishing restorative practices in prison for offenders, victims and the community (inside/outside prison community).

Module 5  - Project development 
We will develop with the participants a model for establishing restorative practices in their local prison reality and oriented to their professional profile.

Bart Claes, after completing his Master’s studies in criminology at the University of Brussels (Belgium), worked as a victim-offender mediator at the Flemish organisation Moderator. He introduced restorative justice and mediation in the two male high-security prisons and the female prison in Brussels. In 2012, Bart obtained a PhD in criminology at the University of Brussels. For his doctoral research he did an ethnographic research on the meaning of restorative justice and mediation in a Belgian prison. In 2015, he moved to Sheffield for two years to join the School of Law at the University of Sheffield on a Marie Curie Intra-European Fellowship on a European research project regarding desistance from crime and restorative justice practices in prison. In 2018, he was appointed professor on forensic care, restorative justice and prison studies at Avans University of Applied Studies in The Netherlands. Currently, his research group focuses on how restorative justice practices in prison can promote desistance from crime. He is also co-founder of the Dutch Center of Expertise on Children of Imprisoned Parents and is member, and former Board member of the European Forum of Restorative Justice. Currently he is also General Director of the Flemish organsation CAW, that among others, delivers forensic social care in all prisons in Flanders.

Roberto Moreno is the responsible officer for justice, prisoners and victims of terrorism at the office of the Ombudsman for the Basque Country. Until 2019 he was the Head of the Adults Justice Service of the of the Ministry of Justice of the Basque Government, coordinating the Victim-Offender Mediation Services of the Basque Country, also the Victim Support Services and the Probation Services. In the past he has 15 years´ experience defending prisoners’ rights in prison, legal advising, visiting at prison and struggling for their rights in different civil movements and NGOs. He supported as an adviser and expert the restorative encounters between ETA Basque separatist group members and victims in 2011-2012, he has disseminated the experience in Europe for a decade and he has facilitated new encounters since 2018. He has been a Board member of the European Forum for Restorative Justice (2014-2020).

The Summer School is organised in partnership with the University Mediation Center at the University of Economics – Varna. 

Local Organiser

The EFRJ organises its Summer Schools in collaboration with local members and partners. This Summer School in Bulgaria co-organised by Elena Evstatieva, EFRJ member, Director of La Conférence SARL.