On the first evening there were three book presentations for relatives and children of prisoners in Vienna. Afterwards we watched the film "All your faces" with German subtitles - exciting, because in the German dubbing some of the dialogues are translated differently... there was still a short time to discuss the film. The film was also referred to again and again the next day in the exciting workshop on the subject of penal system and restorative justice. In the evening there was a panel discussion at the Academy of Fine Arts on the subject of "Out of prison", to which I was also invited to report on my practical experience of conducting restorative group dialogues in prison. This professional discussion did what it promised: to raise and address profound questions about freedom, justice and reintegration. For me it was very enriching to have this discussion with other interested people.
The content of the event was advertised as follows: prison was a further development of corporal punishments that even went as far as the death penalty. Today, the goal of imprisonment is formulated as the resocialized person. The recidivism rate of released prisoners and their difficulties in gaining a foothold in society after imprisonment, as well as reports from prisons about a lack of specialist staff and inadequate accommodation, indicate that this goal is not achieved by prison. Are prisons the right means of achieving long-term reconciliation between perpetrators and victims on an individual level, in which "punishment" is not the leitmotif? What alternatives are there to punishment and prison in order to respond as a society to injustice that has occurred? Where do the needs of the victims come first, or also prevention? How can alternative paths such as restorative justice help to empty the prisons? And finally: What do we do with people who are unable to find their way in society in the long term?
The panel discussion featured:
Markus Fellinger, theologian, spokesman for the Protestant prison chaplaincy
Thomas Galli, lawyer, former prison director
Daniela Hirt, social worker, restorative justice practitioner
Nicole Lieger, political scientist, representative of restorative justice
Moderation: Nina Horaczek, journalist and publicist
Recorded: April 12, 2024, Academy of Fine Arts
An event in the series Platform for Criminal Law Ethics and in cooperation with Blickpunkte, Union for the Rights of Prisoners and ÖH AK Bild.
A really successful event in a venerable building. My heartfelt thanks go to Markus Drechsler Blickpunkte – Independent Magazine for Penal and Correctional Services , who invited me, and to Angelika Neuner from the ASH Forum http://www.ash-forum.at , who accompanied me and us brilliantly throughout the whole event!
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