KINTSUGI – Exchange of European Good Practices on Restorative Justice Erasmus Project

Project Title

KINTSUGI – Exchange of European Good Practices on Restorative Justice

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for adult education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2018

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Home and justice affairs (human rights & rule of law); Inclusion – equity

Project Summary

The EU Directive 2012/29 of the European Parliament reaffirms the principle that “a crime is not only a wrong to society, but also a violation of the individual rights of victims”. Restorative justice starts from the assumption that the crime generates a conflict that causes the breaking of symbolically shared social expectations. The crime becomes an offense that does not only affect those who committed it and those who sanction it with the sentence, but who has suffered the wrong and the laceration: the victim and society. With both, the fractures must be repaired, not so much with monetary compensations, but with positive actions. Fundamentals of restorative justice are: the responsibility of the offender to whom a proactive attitude is required, the recognition of the victim whose suffering must be repaired, the involvement of the community in the process of reparation of the damage. This approach, used extensively in European countries for the re-education of minors, took off differently in adult re-education. In Belgium, for example, the law on Restorative Justice dates back to 2005, Ireland is successfully experimenting restorative practices with the restorative communities. In Italy, restorative justice has been recently introduced (law 67/2014) with probation measures through works of public utility.

According a research carried out in years 2015-2017 by the Criminal Execution Office of Pisa (belonging to the Italian Ministry of Justice), restorative measures towards the offended communities are growing in Italy. This is leading to the strengthening of local networks made up of cooperatives, associations, NGOs, local communities and Public Institutions supporting offenders in their path toward the restoration in favour of the community. However, it is now crucial to move from the sole voluntary service to the community – still appreciable – towards a more professional restorative approach, involving effective practices and reliable methodologies relative to the offenders, the victims and the community.

Thus, KINTSUGI general objective seeks at fostering social inclusion of people subjected to alternative measures to detention for crimes of through the implementation of restorative practices paths. In doing this, the project intends to improve the skills and competences of the trainers/operators of the organizations cooperating in “probation measures through works of public utility” and in other measures alternative to detention. The aim is to facilitate the implementation of restorative justice paths, spreading the meaning of reparation and promoting the assumption of responsible attitudes towards victims, society and community rules.

To achieve this objective, KINTSUGI brings together a specific partnership made up of adult education and restorative justice organizations coming from Italy, Belgium and Northern Ireland, and counting with the associate participation of the Italian Ministry of Justice. The working methodology schedules two project phases one for preparation of and one for implementation. Thus, firstly, project partners will have the opportunity to share European restorative justice practices, to capitalize working methods and to develop a joint training program for staff. Then, 25 participants will be selected among social workers, trainers and offender’s tutors, mediators specialized in the victim-offender relationship and/or in family mediation and community conflicts, and they will participate in the 90-hours joint training program taking place through weekly sessions in Northern Ireland, Italy and Belgium. Throughout the whole KINTSUGI life cycle, partners will be able to systematize links and build relationships, in order to create a real European network of actors working in the field of restorative justice.

Thanks to the project, the awareness raising on restorative justice practices will spread both at national and European level, as well. The restorative practices will be enriched by new shared approaches, by the co-production of tools, agreements and methodologies. Thus, the Communities will become “reparative”, no longer just useful to collaborate to offer opportunities to probationary people but with the new awareness of the function of being an instrument of mediation, acceptance, change and inclusion.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 109839,27 Eur

Project Coordinator

WELCOME A.P.S. & Country: IT

Project Partners

• UNIVERSITY OF ULSTER
• ASSOCIAZIONE SPONDE’ ONLUS
• Actions réparatrices prestations et guidances éducatives
• EUROPEAN FORUM FOR RESTORATIVE JUSTICE VZW
• MEDIANTE Forum pour une Justice Restauratrice et pour la Mediation