Restorative justice: situation and perspectives in Switzerland

Restorative justice is an approach to justice in which the response to a crime is to organize a mediation between the victim and the offender, and sometimes with representatives of a wider community as well. This approach overturns the traditional paradigms of the penalty system and has, among other things, interesting implications from the point of view of the management of the judicial and prison system. On Monday, November 5, from 2 to 6PM (room A22, Lugano campus), the USI Institute of Law (IDUSI) organizes study session “Giustizia riparativa: realtà e prospettive per la Svizzera” (in Italian), in collaboration with the European Forum for Restorative Justice (EFRJ), Swiss RJ Forum (SRJF), and the International Commission of Jurists, supported by BancaStato, the Justice Division and the Bar Association of the Canton Ticino.

In international debates, there is a growing focus on defending the rights of crime victims. Restorative justice is the expression of this new approach to criminal law, which is becoming increasingly popular and in which the centre of gravity is no longer only the perpetrator of the crime, but also (and above all) the victim. It aims at rebuilding the divde created between the perpetrator and the victim in a way that enables dialogue between them and that makes all the actors involved responsible, first of all society.

The study session organized by IDUSI is intended to be, therefore, an afternoon of discussion that goes beyond strictly legal issues to touch on the more philosophical and sociological theme of the purpose of criminal sanctions. The event will provide an opportunity to investigate and reflect about the meaning and significance of justice.

In addition to guest speakers Grazia Mannozzi and Giovanni Angelo Lodigiani (Università degli Studi dell’Insubria), and Bruno Balestra (attorney, former DA of the Canton Ticino), Claudia Christen (Swiss RJ Forum, MSc in Criminology & Criminal Justice, Cert. in Restorative Justice) will present the first examples and experiences of restorative justice in Switzerland.

Free admittance, upon registration at: [email protected]