(Annemieke Wolthuis & Daria Nashat, European Forum for Restorative Justice) This workshop presentation will offer research-based insights on restorative justice approaches that can empower and connect those who have been harmed. The presentation will start out with a short visualization highlighting some key facts about restorative justice approaches and practices. In a second step, the workshop will invite everyone to participate on restorative practice. In closing, participants will reflect on the practical relevance and applicability of the restorative justice activity for their daily work.

1. Work on Victims & Victim
Directive
EFRJ, partner Criminal Justice Platform
Eur
VSE Conference, Utrecht, 26 May 2016
Daria Nashat Executive Director EFRJ
Annemieke Wolthuis Vice chair
EFRJ

2. Topics
1. Victim activities EFRJ
• Lobby, research, seminars
• Joint work CJPE
2. RJ in Victim Directive
What is there, what can improve?
3. A restorative intervention
Circle exercise
2

3. The European Forum for RJ
• Established in 2001
• Network org
• Members
• Main aim: to promote RJ in Europe &
beyond
• Vision: bringing parties in a conflict
together improves justice
3

4. 1. EFRJ activities
• Lobby Victim Directive (in preparation
phase and now with implementation)
• Joint seminars 2014-2016 CJPE on the
use of the Victim Directive in the fields of
probation, prison and RJ
• Research: victim specific, but also
included in research on Accessibility of
RJ, RJ in domestic violence cases, in
cases of sexual abuse, …
4

5. Some research outcomes
• Victims and Restorative Justice: An
empirical study of the needs,
experiences and position of victims
within restorative justice practices
• Victims’ experiences in Dutch, Finnish and
Austrian RJ programmes
• Vanfraechem, I., Bolivar, D. and Aertsen,
I., eds. 2015. Victims and Restorative
Justice. London: Routledge.
5

6. What do victims want
• According to the respondents, the
most important reasons for
participation were to get answers
from the offender and to let the
offender know how they felt (quote
from the Netherlands).
6

7. Results
• most victims interviewed were satisfied
with their experiences in RJ, including the
offer of mediation
• even when victims could show similar
quantitative measures of satisfaction, the
qualitative nature of this experience may
vary from programme to programme
• Long term effects less seen
7

8. Other research/meta studies
• High satisfaction rates
• Accessibility can improve
• Often 50% wants
• Information crucial
• Safety issues – especially in cases with
children and in domestic violence
• Results: a new beginning
8

9. • International victim movement is one of the
key impact factors for the development of RJ
• "The four Rs" of RJ
– Re-personalisation
– Representation/participation
– Reparation/restoration
– Re-integration
• Relevance for victimizing incidents
– Incidents with & without (direct) criminal relevance
– Individual & collective victimizations
(conflict/post-conflict societies)
Impact of RJ for
Victims

10. 10
Joint efforts CJPE
• Improving criminal justice in Europe
• Interdisciplinary
• Together stronger
• Both with partners in the CR chain
• As well on EU and national level
• Communication central (like in RJ)
• Joint conferences/research/lobby
10

11. • Accessibility
 Self referrals?
• Equal treatment or discrimination
 Internal (intra-state)
 External (inter-state)
 Transnational (cross-border cases)
• Research
 Implementation
 Evaluation
• Awareness raising
Topics Joint Activities

12. 2. RJ in the
EU Victim Directive

13. RJ challenges
• Victims attention as an ongoing priority
• Real right to access (a RJ Directive?)
• Transborder crime cases in which RJ
could be applied are a scenario which has
been neglected so far (appr 2.5 million
cross-border victims in the EU annually)
13

14. Circle experience
• There is so much more to say on RJ and
victims…
• But.. how does it feel to experience RJ?
• Circle experience to be introduced by
Daria
• Explanation & action
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15. Michael Kilchling | CEJFE Barcelona | 13 June 2013
New
Website:
www.euforumrj.org
Thank you for your attention !