Theo Gavrielides
Professor Theo Gavrielides, PhD, is a legal philosopher and a restorative justice expert. He is the Founder and Director of the Restorative Justice for All (RJ4All) International Institute, which aims to advance community cohesion and redistribute power through education and the values of restorative justice. He is also the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of RJ4All Publications. In 2021, Professor Gavrielides received The Liberty of the Old Metropolitan Borough of Bermondsey award.
Biography
Professor Theo Gavrielides, PhD, is a legal philosopher and a restorative justice expert. He is the Founder and Director of the Restorative Justice for All (RJ4All) International Institute, which aims to advance community cohesion and redistribute power through education and the values of restorative justice. He is also the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of RJ4All Publications, which is the publishing arm of the RJ4All International Institute. In 2021, Professor Gavrielides received The Liberty of the Old Metropolitan Borough of Bermondsey award as part of the Southwark Civic Awards 2020 for his contribution to the community during difficult times.In 2001, he founded The IARS International Institute, a user-led charity. In 2020, almost 20 years since IARS’ establishment, he stepped down.
Dr. Gavrielides is also a Visiting Professor at the University of East London, Distinguished Policy Fellow at the School of Regulation and Global Governance (REGNet), Australian National University, an Adjunct Professor at the School of Criminology of Simon Fraser University (Canada) as well as a Visiting Professor at Buckinghamshire New University (UK). In the past, he served as a Visiting Professorial Research Fellow at Panteion University of Social & Political Science (Greece) and as a Visiting Senior Research Fellow at the International Centre for Comparative Criminological Research (ICCCR) at Open University (UK).
He is the Editor-in-Chief of the peer-reviewed journals:
International Journal of Human Rights in Healthcare, Youth Voice Journal and Internet Journal of Restorative Justice.
Some of his volunteering roles include being a trustee of the Anne Frank Trust, a Governor at Albion Primary School, an Advisory Board Member of the Institute for Diversity Research, Inclusivity, Communities and Society (IDRICS) and as a Member of the Scrutiny and Involvement Panel of the Crown Prosecution Service.
Previously, he was the Chief Executive of Race on the Agenda, a social policy think-tank focusing on race equality. He also worked at the Ministry of Justice as the Human Rights Advisor of the Strategy Directorate. There, he worked on the Human Rights Insight Project, which aimed to identify strategies that will further implement the principles underlying the Human Rights Act and improve public services. He also advised on the Ministry’s Education, Information and Advice strategy. During 2002-2004, he worked as a Researcher at the Centre for the Study of Human Rights of the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).
He is also a legal counsel specialising in criminal law, human rights and EU law. He taught criminal law and common law reasoning and institutions at the University of London, and have acted as a human rights and criminal justice advisor for various chambers and policy bodies including the Independent Advisory Group of the London Criminal Justice Partnership.
He obtained a Doctorate in Law from the London School of Economics and Political Science (PhD, 2005) and a Masters in Human Rights Law from Nottingham University (LL.M in Human Rights Law, 2000). He graduated from the Faculty of Laws of the National University of Athens and practised law at Gavrielides & Co.
Education
-
Phd in Law (LSE)
LL.M in Human Rights Law
LL.B National University of Athens
Areas of Research / Professional Expertise
-
Prof. Gavrielides has published extensively on social justice matters. His 2007 monograph “Restorative Justice Theory and Practice” was published by the European Institute for Crime Prevention and Control affiliated with the United Nations (HEUNI) and his 2021 monograph “Power, Race & Restoration: The dialogue we Never Had” by Routledge.
In 2012, he edited “Rights and Restoration within Youth Justice”, in 2013 he co-edited ‘Reconstructing Restorative Justice Philosophy’ and in 2015 he edited ‘The Philosophy of Restorative Justice’ both published by Ashgate (now Routledge). He also edited ‘Offenders no More’ by NOVA Publishers (2015) and ‘Restorative Justice, The Library of Essays on Justice’ (2015) by Ashgate Publishing. He also edited ‘The Routledge International Handbook of Restorative Justice’ (2018) and “Comparative Restorative Justice” (2021).
His new monograph, Power, Race & Justice: The restorative dialogue we won’t have is due to be published in 2021 by Routledge.
Websites
Internet Journal of Restorative Justice (IJRJ)
RJ4All International Institute
RJ4All Publications
Theo Gavrielides
Youth Voice Journal (YVJ)
Books
News
The Routledge International Handbook of Restorative Justice
By: Theo Gavrielides
Subjects: Criminology and Criminal Justice, Sociology, Sociology & Social Policy, Sociology, Criminology and Criminal Justice
For the first time, restorative justice will be the focus of a prestigious series such as the International Handbooks. The aim of the Handbook is to provide scholars, students and policymakers from around the world with a definite, up-to-date resource on restorative justice with a comprehensive and authoritative review of its research in new and contested areas. A secondary objective is to support innovative practice in restorative justice including but not limited to mediation (direct and indirect), conferencing, circles, board and panels. Particular attention is paid to grey areas of practice.
Bringing together contributors from across a range of jurisdictions, disciplines and legal traditions, the book will provide a concise but critical review of existing and new theory and practice in restorative justice. Authors will identify the key developments, theoretical arguments and new empirical evidence relevant to their specific issue or concept, evaluating their merits and demerits, and then turn attention to further questions or concerns that will inform and improve the future of restorative justice.
Restorative justice is a fast growing field and thus this up-dated handbook is overdue. The Handbook will publish papers that have not been appeared elsewhere and which will bring to the fore ground-breaking research and new normative propositions in contested areas in restorative justice. The chapters will be written by leading and established researchers and practitioners in restorative justice, making the companion a valuable reference resource. Although the Handbook will aim to address first the fields of criminology and law, the contributors will also draw from a number of different disciplines. As a cross-discipline, restorative justice must look beyond the law for its future development, and this volume will help the field achieve this objective. The authors will also be encouraged to survey the current state of research on each topic, including their own work, but not to the exclusion of others. The chapters will be similar to sophisticated review, empirical papers or literature survey articles. As the subject is continually evolving, the contributors will be asked to reflect current thinking, but also point to directions for future research.
The companion is divided into four parts, dealing with: Theory | Practice | Critical Thinking | The Future |
This approach will allow contemporary theoretical and normative questions to be addressed and developed at the beginning of the collection. The book will then move on to answer empirical questions around restorative justice practice. The third section will engage the reader with key critiques of restorative justice making the volume a truly balanced contribution. Finally, the last section will look into the future, and posit key recommendations for policy, research and practice, providing much needed questions for further exploration.
Each contributor will write a chapter of c 7,000- 8,000 words on their topic. Contributors have been selected on the basis of their expertise in relation to the topic. The Editor has provided some general guidance on the aims of the chapter (i.e. authoritative discussion of pre-existing research, coupled with critical engagement and reflections on future directions) to ensure greater consistency and coherence across the whole collection. While the first section on theory has contributions from strong theoretical minds, the second section on practice will bring together authors with direct experience of restorative justice on the ground. They have been asked to write their chapters using case studies from their direct experience. This will bring balance against the theoretical part of the volume. Adversaries as well as sceptics of restorative justice will then write under the third section, while the final part will conclude with writings from some of the leading authors in the restorative justice movement.
Book audience: Senior-level capstone courses and upper-level seminars that review and expand on key areas of study in restorative justice, criminology, social sciences, social theory, psychology and positive psychology, law, neuroscience, human rights, criminal justice, and political science departments. The book is also intended for researchers, policymakers, practitioners and campaigners from around the world.
Videos
Published: Mar 05, 2023
A special edition of the RJ Webinar series by Prof. Theo Gavrielides covering the topic of violent youth radicalisation, truths and myths and the restorative justice way of preventing it.
Published: Mar 05, 2023
This is the 21st Episode of the RJ Webinar series by Prof. Theo Gavrielides. Special Guest is Prof. Thomas Toscano, Associate Head of School Buckinghamshire New University This episode covers the topic of violent youth radicalisation especially within universities. The interview presents evidence of a positive approach that uses restorative justice for prevention and social control.
Published: Dec 27, 2022
This Episode of the #rjwebinar series by Prof. Theo Gavrielides is an edited version of the online training for the CPD course "Preventing violent radicalisation in criminal justice settings: A Restorative Justice approach". It was delivered at the RJ4All Community Centre to criminal justice professionals in September 2022 as part of the Erasmus+ funded RDaVR funded project. The CPD course is also available as an ecourse https://rj4all.uk/online/courses/rdavr/
Published: Aug 02, 2022
This is the 19th Episode of the #rjwebinar series by Prof. Theo Gavrielides. This episode presents Dr. Gavrielides' keynote speech at the 3rd Annual Conference os the Restorative Justice Council in the UK. Dr Gavrielides challenges justice and restorative justice in a world where power abuse makes new slaves and masters. The keynote is followed by a series of questions by practitioners and researchers. Chaired by Dr. Gerard Drennan, Chair of the RJC Council.
Published: Jul 16, 2022
This is the 18th Episode of the #rjwebinar series by Prof. Theo Gavrielides. Special Guest is Dr. Martin Wright. The interview looks into the roots and history of restorative justice, its presence as well as future. In this unique video, together, Theo and Martin take a journey of exploration as they remember their first encounter 21 years ago, while reflecting on the dangers ahead for the restorative justice movement.
Published: Apr 16, 2022
This is the panel debate that followed the professorial inaugural lecture of Professor Theo Gavrielides at the University of East London. The panel was chaired by Channel 4 Home Affairs Senior Correspondent Simon Israel. Panelists included: Dr. Jackie Craissati (Clinical and forensic psychologist and independent governor at UEL), Prof. Fitzroy Andrew (Senior Institutional Equity Officer at UEL), Juozas Kelecius (Project Officer at RJ4All).
Published: Apr 16, 2022
This is the professorial inaugural lecture of Professor Theo Gavrielides at the University of East London. He covers the topic of race and power. The lecture is introduced by Professor Aneta Tunariu, Dean of the School of Psychology and Professor Verity Brown Pro-Vice Chancellor of UEL.
Published: Apr 09, 2022
What is the history of restorative justice and where did it come from? How did it rise and fall over time? This is the 15th webinar by Dr. Gavrielides
Published: Feb 21, 2022
This is the 14th webinar of the RJ4All YouTube channel "RJ webinar series" by Theo Gavrielides. The webinar deconstructs the contemporary notion of punishment and introduces Gavrielides' concept of restorative pain. It them moves on to present a case study of a personal story that was presented at the 1st International Annual Conference of the RJ4All International Institute. This is a story of pain and catharsis using art and the power of restoration to create dialogue and healing.
Published: Dec 18, 2021
This is the 13th webinar of the RJ4All YouTube channel "RJ webinar series" by Theo Gavrielides. The topic is on Dr. Gavrielides' new monograph "Power, Race & Justice: The restorative dialogue we won’t have". This Episode is chaired by Laura Hamblin, Lecturer at the School of Psychology of the University of East London.
Published: Sep 05, 2022
This is the 12th webinar of the RJ4All YouTube channel "RJ webinar series" by Theo Gavrielides. The topic is on Dr. Gavrielides' new monograph "Power, Race & Justice: The restorative dialogue we won’t have". This Episode is chaired by Pavan Dhaliwal (she/her), Chief Executive of Revolving Doors.
Published: Aug 21, 2022
This is the 11th webinar of the RJ4All YouTube channel "RJ webinar series" by Theo Gavrielides. This Special Episode welcomes Guest speaker Tom Gavrielides.
Published: Mar 05, 2021
The special guest for this episode is Professor Gerry Johnstone from the University of Hull. He is the author of several books, including Restorative Justice: Ideas, Values, Debates (2nd edition, Routledge), which has been translated into Chinese and Japanese. He is on the editorial boards of Restorative Justice: An International Journal and Crime Law and Social Change. He is currently writing a book analysing the concept of overcriminalisation.
Published: Feb 17, 2021
This is the 9th webinar of the RJ4All YouTube channel "RJ webinar series" by Theo Gavrielides. The topic is virtual restorative justice. This Episode welcomes Guest speaker Gabriel Velez, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, College of Education, Educational Policy and Leadership Marquette University https://marquette.academia.edu/GabrielVelez
Published: Nov 06, 2020
This is the 5th part of the 8th webinar of the RJ4All YouTube channel "RJ webinar series" by Theo Gavrielides. This Episode is split into various parts covering the history of restorative justice.
Published: Nov 06, 2020
This is the 4th part of the 8th webinar of the RJ4All YouTube channel "RJ webinar series" by Theo Gavrielides. This Episode is split into various parts covering the history of restorative justice.
Published: Nov 05, 2020
This is the 3rd part of the 8th webinar of the RJ4All YouTube channel "RJ webinar series" by Theo Gavrielides. This Episode is split into various parts covering the history of restorative justice.
Published: Nov 05, 2020
This is the 2nd part of the 8th webinar of the RJ4All YouTube channel "RJ webinar series" by Theo Gavrielides. This Episode is split into various parts covering the history of restorative justice.
Published: Nov 04, 2020
This is the 1st part of the 8th webinar of the RJ4All YouTube channel "RJ webinar series" by Theo Gavrielides. This Episode is split into various parts covering the history of restorative justice.
Published: Sep 05, 2020
Welcome to the seventh episode in the RJ Webinar Series by Dr Theo Gavrielides. This episode covers the topic of hate crimes with restorative justice. The webinar is broken down into 3 parts: Part 1: Understanding and defining hate crimes internationally Part 2: Understanding restorative justice Part 3: How can restorative justice be used to address hate crimes? Case studies and research in the area.
Published: Jul 20, 2020
This is the sixth webinar of the RJ4All YouTube channel featuring Theo Gavrielides. It covers the topic of power. He discusses the three levers of "power and control" and how these sub-consciously direct us in our lives. Issues of nationalism, imperialism, financial terror and elitism are all revealed.
Published: Jul 13, 2020
Welcome to the fifth episode in the RJ Webinar Series by Dr Theo Gavrielides. This episode covers the topic of power and how it not only plays a central role in understanding conflict but also its use in addressing violence.
Published: Jun 24, 2020
Welcome to the fourth episode of the RJ Webinar Series by Dr Theo Gavrielides. In this episode, Dr Gavrielides covers the topic of power and race which looking at the potential of restorative justice for addressing power imbalances.
Published: Jun 18, 2020
Welcome to the third episode of the RJ Webinar Series by Dr Theo Gavrielides. In this webinar, Dr Gavrielides covers the topic of domestic violence and violence against women and how restorative justice can be potentially used to address these phenomena.
Published: Jun 16, 2020
Welcome to the second episode in the RJ Webinar Series by Dr Theo Gavrielides. In this episode, Dr Gavrielides covers the topic of definitions and how this has limited the application of restorative justice.
Published: Jun 15, 2020
Welcome to the RJ Webinar Series by Dr Theo Gavrielides! On this first episode, Theo will be covering restorative justice and its use for mental health. Additionally, the issues of power and responsibility are addressed in this video.