COREPOL - Conflict resolution, mediation and restorative justice and the policing of minorities in Germany, Austria and Hungary

The proposed research will use a comparative design to establish whether better police-minority relations can be achieved through means of a Restorative Justice (RJ) approach. It will determine the extent to which RJ is presently used and how it can be made suitable to improve police-minority communication and interaction. The extent and cultural particularities of RJ programs and their affiliation to the criminal justice system will be ascertained and the involvement of police in RJ programs for minority populations will be explored. Police-minority research will focus on different populations in each of the participating countries with the aim of analysing the specific situation of these minorities and the relationship of these minorities and the police. In Germany it will be Turkish migrants, in Austria residents with African background and in Hungary Roma communities. This will enable the project team to cross-compare findings with respect to commonalities and differences and will result in a more comprehensive view (multiple-perspective) on the problems under investigation. Finally, the proposed research will exemplify the scope of RJ approaches for the improvement of police-minority communication and interaction. The research will include open questions of gender, age and cultural compatibility of RJ.

Project Period

January 2012 to January 2015

Project Team

Hemma Mayrhofer & Walter Hammerschick