Tomas Bata University in Zlín

Conference on Restorative and Retributive Justice

In the third week of November, during Restorative Justice Week, the Faculty of Humanities hosted the Conference on Restorative and Retributive Justice in collaboration with the Institute of Educational Sciences and the Probation and Mediation Service in Zlín. The conference tackled compelling and often taboo topics, such as capital punishment, alternative sentencing, probation housing, juveniles in prison, and mothers with children in prison.

The event reflected the long-term collaboration between the organising institutions in teaching, student internships, and the future professional prospects of students in the Social Pedagogy programme. At the very beginning of the event, the distinguished guests who accepted the invitation were introduced. These were, for example, the Director of the Prison and the Prison Service Brno Brig. Gen. Dusan Gac, MBA, Deputy for Probation and Mediation of the Probation and Mediation Service Mgr. Kateřina Šlesingerová, but also other experts in this field, such as Assoc. Mgr. Miroslav Jůzl, Ph.D. and PhDr. Alena Plšková, including prosecutors and a judge of the regional court. The opening remarks were made by the Dean of the Faculty of Humanities of the University of Technology in Zlín, Mgr. Libor Marek, Ph.D., Director of the Institute of Educational Sciences doc. Mgr. Jakub Hladík, Ph.D., Deputy Minister of Justice Mgr. Karel Dvořák and Director of the Probation and Mediation Service PhDr. Andrea Matoušková. The audience was also greeted by the Rector of UTB prof. Mgr. Milan Adámek, Ph.D., Mayor of the Zlín Region Ing. et Ing. Jiří Korec and the Governor of the Zlín Region Ing. Radim Holiš. The conference continued with a lecture on restorative justice, followed by panel discussions featuring experts from the Czech Prison Service, Probation and Mediation Service, Institute for Restorative Justice, Institute for Criminology and Social Prevention, non-profit organisations, the Zlín Magistrate, and the Otrokovice Municipal Office. Doc. Mgr. Jakub Hladík, Ph.D., Director of the Institute of Educational Sciences, commented: “This conference marks another step in the collaboration between the Institute of Educational Sciences and the Probation and Mediation Service in Zlín. Graduates of the Social Pedagogy programme often encounter issues related to incarceration, probation, mediation, and the reintegration of individuals released from prison. We are therefore very pleased to have brought together experienced and prominent experts at the Faculty of Humanities to present fascinating topics to both students and the professional public.”