New Impulses for Victim Support and the Future of Criminal Justice
Expert Symposium Discusses More Effective Future Approaches to Criminal Justice
According to experts, both the criminal justice system and the prison system in Europe are in a state of crisis. At the invitation of Bettina Limperg (President of the Federal Court of Justice (BGH)) and the other editors of the renowned series of reference books Edition Seehaus [plus] on victim protection, resocialization and restorative justice, more than one hundred experts from academia, the judiciary, legal policy groups, victim protection organizations, the police, and the penal system came together in Stuttgart for a two-day symposium to discuss these issues.
The experts discussed how to take greater (and better) account of victims and their needs in criminal proceedings, how to achieve fairer reconciliation of violated rights and relationships, how to improve the penal system and, above all, how to achieve more effective rehabilitation. Of particular note was the focus on expanding the possibilities for victim-offender mediation so that victims of crime can receive comprehensive and rapid support in processing their experiences, overcoming trauma, and making amends through monetary compensation or other personal performances.
Victims should have a right to restorative forms of justice
Max Planck Senior Researcher Michael Kilchling, who has been studying criminal sanction systems and prison law for decades, called for a strengthening of victim-offender mediation and other restorative forms of justice at the event. He stated that “restorative forms of reconciliation, such as victim-offender mediation, must be further developed in the future to become a genuine (legal) entitlement for those involved – and in particular for the victims and their relatives.”
Other suggestions that were discussed included new forms of digital surveillance and societal reparation through work in the social sector. However, this would also require financial resources – a demand that was passed on to the Baden-Württemberg Minister of Justice, Marion Gentges, who was present.
- The symposium: "Gerechtigkeit und Wiedergutmachung: Neue Impulse für Opferhilfe und Strafrecht der Zukunft" (Justice and Reconciliation: New Impulses for Victim Support and the Future of Criminal Justice) took place on September 23 and 24 in Stuttgart. The event marked the tenth anniversary of the Seehaus e.V. victim support organization.