"The Criminal Justice Platform Europe (CJPE) organises its 4th International Criminal Justice Summer Course in Barcelona (7-10 July 2020). The Summer Course will be a combination of workshops, plenary sessions and study visits bringing together participants with a background in prison, probation and restorative justice from a variety of European countries.

The theme chosen for this edition of the Summer Course is “Responses to sexual violence”.
Download the flyer here.

Very few offences stir up such strong feelings as those committed by violent sexual offenders. Communities are fearful. The media often vengeful. Politicians speak mainly of punishment.
The lasting damage inflicted upon victims can be devastating. How can their voices be heard? Can wrongs be put right? Is prison the only answer? How can professionals who work with such offenders retain balance and hope and effective practice? Walking the tight rope of risk management… We live in the age of #metoo with highly sexualised images bombarding us from every angle and yet, when people make mistakes, or have sexual identity problems, or commit sex offences, the immediacy of judgement, is bitter and relentless. To work in a prison or a community setting with sex offenders often draws suspicion from colleagues, let alone the general public.

So this event is a unique international opportunity to meet professionals, from other countries, from different disciplines, from a range of backgrounds to share and to learn from people doing the same work. The focus will be upon practice: what works – new ideas – restorative methods – preventing reoffending – research – workshops – practice visits – sharing experience. The aim is that participants bring their expertise and, through engaging with the courses, are better equipped and informed about current approaches and effective interventions. The event will be demanding, but rewarding, for the individual practitioner and the organisations they represent.

Each organisation member of CJPE will address the main topic from a different but complementary angle in one of the 3 parallel workshop sessions:

• The European Organisation of Prison and Correctional Services (EuroPris) will focus on ethics in management and treatment of individuals sentenced for a sexual offense;
• The Confederation of European Probation (CEP) will explore the better understanding of sexual abuse to create effective policy and practice;
• The European Forum for Restorative Justice (EFRJ) will look how to include victims and use restorative justice approaches to respond to sexual violence.

By sharing ideas and considering the very latest research and programmes, participants will be stimulated to engage with the debate on how to respond to sexual violence. Methods will include training, presentations, discussions among the participants as well as study visits. The aim is to examine key practice issues, inspire new thinking, promote cross-fertilization and build new networks to improve services and practice in prisons, probation and restorative justice. The variety of the group, coming from different European realities, will provide further opportunities to learn and engage in criminal justice issues.

Please spread the flyer within your network!

Registrations will open in February 2020 for a limited number of participants (60) among expert practitioners, subject specialists, project development leaders, practice managers, trainers, academic practice teachers, researchers in the fields of prison, probation and/or restorative justice. Priority will be given to European participants; the course is not meant for private sector participants.

The working language of the Summer Course is English. The venue of the Summer Course is the Escola d’Administració Pública de Catalunya, Carrer de Girona 20, in Barcelona.

The early bird fee is 375 Euros (425€ after 15 April 2020) and it includes materials, coffee breaks, the opening reception, one dinner, one study visit and certificate of attendance. Flights, accommodation and subsistence are NOT included. Registrations close on 20 June. Cancellation policy: reimbursement of 50% of the fee before 1 June; after this date, reimbursement is no longer possible." (euforumrj.org)