For participants who have been convicted of an act of violence, there is a separate coaching module for dealing with the violence. The module is considered optional, so that in specific cases re-traumatisation through forced processing is avoided. The topic of violence can also be broached in the accompanying individual sessions of the group training, if it agrees with the needs of the participants. Regardless of their individual actions, the participants deal with their respective strategies of justification and trivialisation. The goal is to break up the myths surrounding violence and to understand how violence arises. The focus is on the role of important influencing factors, such as the group. In addition, part of the approach is to assume the victim’s perspective. It can be a building block to restore the empathy of the perpetrators.

The learning objective is to recognise that violent behaviour is not inevitable but can be controlled and thus avoided. This way, the participants learn that every individual person must take responsibility for his or her actions and that it is possible to renounce violence. The participants are also made aware of the costs (and consequences) of their crimes for them and others. Over the course of the training, the participants learn how to deal with conflict situations in a non-violent and confident way. Practical exercises taken from everyday life help them identify their sensitivity thresholds, understand body signals and, in the event of an escalation, to opt out before they lose control of their emotions. Ultimately, they also learn to discard their patterns of justification.

Within the group, the joint acts of violence committed by two participants are supposed to be dealt with and a cost-benefit analysis should be carried out. The other participants are supposed to make a note of the disadvantages and costs caused by the act and learn what the motivation behind the act was. They will then share their findings with the two participants in a feedback session.

‘What day was that? Do you remember?’

‘I think it was a Monday, yeah …’

‘Was it summer or winter?’ Was it during the day?’

‘It was pretty chill …’

‘What happened? I have no idea at all, tell me.’

‘Well, we skipped school. We met one of our buddies. Then we were looking for some weed but somehow couldn’t find any. We picked up two bottles of vodka and got pretty trashed. We were definitely plastered, but I don’t remember exactly anymore.’

‘And then what happened; why don’t you tell me,’ the coach asks the other one.

‘Yeah, then we just wondered if we should take them on now. We went over and asked what their problem was, and they didn’t react and then we struck.’

‘OK. I’m a bit lost now. So, you were mobbed and then you decided, you would ‘clarify it‘, as you called it. And then you went over to them and talked to them?’

‘Yes, you could say that; why don’t you say what happened,’ the participant turns to his accomplice.

‘Yeah, so we went over to them and thought, if they are looking for trouble, then they should get trouble. We wanted to be brave.’

‘But you could have also just kept walking, right? Why not?’

‘Well, when they started bothering us, we just thought, one way or another. And then I just hit him in the face with the vodka bottle.’

‘How long did it take for the vodka bottle to fly after they started bugging you?’

‘Well, he started pushing us around.’

‘What kind of agreement was that? Do I punch him, or do I carry on a civilised conversation?’ the second coach asks.

‘Yeah, civilised … it was clear that a civilised conversation wasn’t an option anymore.’

‘So, it was already clear from the start that there would be a fight? Do you see it the same way?’ the coach asks the other participant again.

‘Well, yes, I guess so. The other guy didn’t do anything else. I saw that he fell onto the street after getting his with the vodka bottle. If someone hadn’t pulled him back, the bus would have …’

‘So, a third party pulled him away? Were you aware at that moment what could have happened if he hadn’t been pulled away? That he would have fallen in front of the bus? Did that not matter to you at that moment?’

‘No, it didn’t.’

‘So, the day you didn’t care, and you drank a three-quarter bottle of vodka could have put you in jail and somebody could have ended up dead. What would that mean for you today, if he hadn’t been pulled back?’

‘Yeah, that would’ve sucked.’

‘How long are you in for?’

‘One year in jail.’

‘And for letting out a bit of frustration, you’re now behind bars for a year?’

‘Well, now in hindsight, I have to admit, it wasn’t worth it.’

The so-called ‘violence session’ or offence recap lasts about three hours. If the offence recap session takes place in the group setting, the offence is first meticulously reconstructed. Then the group assesses the violent act and the consequences for the victim. While the participants must take responsibility, the other group members act as ‘violence experts’ and assume a supporting role. They identify the causes, consequences and noteworthy findings of the act of violence. This conscious assumption of responsibility forms the basis for developing new perspectives and a personal ‘violence avoidance plan’. The feedback by the group on the act of violence, as well as its perspectives and opinions support reflection of the act, because impressions and opinions are expressed by people who are in the same position. The violence session is a great challenge for the participants: Every now and then, the confrontation with the brutality and the often gruesome injuries that were inflicted on the victims pushes the participants to their limits.

You can read all about our tertiary prevention in prisons in English language here and in German language here.