Introduction to Restorative Justice Responses to Serious Harm

The Introduction to Restorative Justice Responses to Serious Harm course offers a thorough insight into application of restorative justice in cases of serious harm.  It allows participants to explore the special principles and safeguards of applying restorative justice in cases that are considered serious. The learning is organised through active participation, discussions, group exercises and common reflections, and it features specific and practical examples such as for example scenarios of (anonymised) cases. 

The course is an essential introduction for those who want to study this area of restorative justice applications. It is recommended for participants who already completed a basic introduction to restorative justice training, or are have a good overview on the basics of restorative justice practice. It is especially recommended for policy makers, managers, and full-time workers (social workers, psychologists,  police, prosecutors, judges, prison and probation officers) and volunteers who wish to implement restorative justice in this area.

The course is delivered by EFRJ Qualified trainers. It can be organised in online and face-to-face format. 

Participants of the course will receive course materials and get access to the a number of additional pre-recorded video presentations that invite them to learn about specialised topics related to restorative justice. These resources will remain available for them even after the end of the course and they can watch them according to their own interests and in their own pace. 

Participants will…

• understand that restorative justice with serious harm has both benefits and risks and that these must be assessed and managed. 
• have sufficient understanding of the issue of power imbalances, of the relevance of trauma, of the importance of the readiness and willingness of the participants to participate in the restorative process, especially for the victim, and of the need for support and supervision after the restorative process.
  understand the practices of risk assessment and risk management.
• understand that serious crime has a public significance as well as a personal impact. Community, however it is defined, can not only support people to recover from a very harmful act but can exacerbate a serious harm’s consequences.

• Balancing benefits with risks
• Power imbalances and restorative processes
• Trauma informed restorative practice
• The role of the community with serious harm
• Children as victims
• Sexual harm
• Intimate partner violence
• Hate crime