This article applies insights of the contextual theory and therapy, developed by Ivan Boszormenyi-Nagy, to the body of knowledge and practice of social work. Social work and contextual therapy share their focus on justice. In social work, it is mainly elaborated as social justice, placed in the discourse of politics and action. Contextual therapy however, elaborates justice as relational ethics; a fundamental element of human relationships, expressed in an innate tendency to care for each other. According to the contextual theory, evoking this reciprocal care enhances human wellbeing. Therefore, next to the focus on social justice on macro level, this article introduces a focus on relational justice on micro level. Relational justice aims at restoring and enhancing relationships within the family, with those who are relevant for the wellbeing of the family, and with the family’s context. A focus on relational justice encompasses a promising resource for human wellbeing, and a constructive framework for a contextual social work approach. Subsequently, applicable interventions from the contextual therapy, derived from a previously conducted qualitative research on the practice of contextual therapy, are tailored to the social work practice. Conclusively, this article states that justice within family relationships is an important element for successfully realizing of social justice.
This article draws on Robinson, McNeill and Maruna’s argument (2012) about the adaptability of community sanctions and measures, observed through four distinctive penal narratives, in order to shed light on the regional development of community service in Wroclaw, Poland. While the managerial adaptation of community sanctions is underpinned by an inter-agency cooperation to fulfil the goals of the system, the contemporary rehabilitation iteration has become a toolkit of measures predominantly phrased around risk management, the reparative discourse seeks various means to repair harm, and the punitive orientation represent the turn to desert-based and populist sentencing frameworks. In this article, the first three are reflected upon along with the emerging, restorative adaptation of community sanctions. The last one is added to expand on the findings of previous research, which suggests the viability of the restorative orientation for community service in Poland (Matczak, 2018). A brief discussion of how punishment, probation and restorative justice can be reconciled is followed by the introduction of Polish Probation and the role of probation officers in delivering community service in Poland. Although the penal narratives are visible in the Wrocław model to different degrees and in various combinations, more research is required to evaluate the viability of a progressive orientation to punishment during a gradual optimisation of community orders. Originally published: Anna Matczak, The penal narratives of community sentence and the role of probation: The case of the Wrocław model of community service, European journal of probation (Vol. 13 nr. 1) pp. 72-88. Copyright © 2021year (The Author). DOI: 10.1177/2066220320976105
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This article draws on Robinson, McNeill and Maruna’s argument (2012) about the adaptability of community sanctions and measures, observed through four distinctive penal narratives, in order to shed light on the regional development of community service in Wroclaw, Poland. While the managerial adaptation of community sanctions is underpinned by an inter-agency cooperation to fulfil the goals of the system, the contemporary rehabilitation iteration has become a toolkit of measures predominantly phrased around risk management, the reparative discourse seeks various means to repair harm, and the punitive orientation represent the turn to desert-based and populist sentencing frameworks. In this article, the first three are reflected upon along with the emerging, restorative adaptation of community sanctions. The last one is added to expand on the findings of previous research, which suggests the viability of the restorative orientation for community service in Poland (Matczak, 2018). A brief discussion of how punishment, probation and restorative justice can be reconciled is followed by the introduction of Polish Probation and the role of probation officers in delivering community service in Poland. Although the penal narratives are visible in the Wrocław model to different degrees and in various combinations, more research is required to evaluate the viability of a progressive orientation to punishment during a gradual optimisation of community orders. Originally published: Anna Matczak, The penal narratives of community sentence and the role of probation: The case of the Wrocław model of community service, European journal of probation (Vol. 13 nr. 1) pp. 72-88. Copyright © 2021year (The Author). DOI: 10.1177/2066220320976105
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Strafrechtmediator is een relatief nieuw beroep en de tijd voor reflectie en kwaliteitsvragen is rijp. Een strafrechtmediator heeft, anders dan bij reguliere mediations, niet alleen te maken met de overschrijding van een persoonlijke norm, maar ook met de overtreding van een maatschappelijke norm. De strafrechtmediator opereert in de context van het strafrecht, en heeft daarbij vaak de maken met verdachten en slachtoffers, waarbij psychische problemen een rol speelt. De bestaande kwaliteitsprotocollen van de Mediatorsfederatie Nederland voorzien hier niet altijd in. De voorgeschreven neutraliteit is niet altijd te transformeren naar een strafrechtmediation. Er is sprake van een strafbaar feit en secundaire victimisatie van het slachtoffer tijdens de strafrechtmediation moet worden voorkomen. Mediators zijn echter, uit angst voor een formele klacht, bang om van de voor de mediator geldende gedragsregels af te wijken en worstelen met hetgeen de praktijk vraagt in relatie tot de algemene regels die voor de mediator gelden. Met andere woorden de beroepspraktijk heeft behoefte aan specifieke kwaliteitseisen voor de strafrechtmediator. Deze behoefte wordt onderschreven door strafrechtmediators, verschillende werkveldpartners en kennispartners. Het consortium bestaat uit de twee leidende publieke organisaties op het gebied van strafrechtmediation, namelijk de Mediatorsfederatie Nederland (hierbij zijn vrijwel alle zelfstandig werkende strafrechtmediators aangesloten) en Slachtoffer in Beeld. Ook de vereniging van Mediators in Strafzaken heeft zich aangesloten. Werkveldpartners zijn de drie landelijke reclasseringsorganisaties en het landelijke project ZSM-werkplaatsen, de mediationfunctionarissen van vijf Rechtbanken, het Openbaar Ministerie (Eindhoven) en de politie Utrecht. De Universiteiten Utrecht (faculteit Rechten), Leuven (faculteit psychologie) en Maastricht (educational reseach and development), Restorative Justice Nederland en het European Forum Restorative Justice dragen vanuit hun deskundigheid bij aan dit onderzoek naar en de verdere ontwikkeling van de kwaliteit van de strafrechtmediator. De hoofdvraag van dit onderzoek is dan ook ‘Aan welke kwaliteitseisen moet een strafrechtmediator voldoen? En, hoe kunnen deze kwaliteitseisen worden geborgd?’
