Prato 2025 – Safer Communities: Creating better outcomes for justice involved people
When
Where
Cost
Incapacitation and retribution are ‘default’ responses to people who commit crime in many jurisdictions around the world. These responses have broad and lasting social, legal, economic and health consequences. Media and public discourse around crime is typically reactionary, particularly for youth crime, where punishment and control are emphasised despite most crimes being rooted in broader social circumstances. Expanding prisons and relying on surveillance and punishment is unsustainable and unnecessary since many prevention and intervention strategies can deter crime and facilitate desistance.
This Prato 2025 ‘Safer Communities’ conference is designed to bring together practitioners, legal decision makers, advocates, researchers and policy contributors to explore new and different ways of responding to criminal behaviour and the people who commit criminal acts, creating lasting positive impacts for people of all ages. We invite presenters to take a life-course perspective and to consider how efforts at various stages of the lifespan can enhance community safety and improve the trajectories of people who are justice involved.
Conference
30 September to 2 October 2025
Workshops
29 September 2025
Keynote speakers
Keynote speakers announced soon!
The Centre for Forensic Behavioural Science at Swinburne University of Technology is proud to be partnering with Monash University to deliver this event. The conference will be held at Palazzo Vaj, the Monash University Centre in Prato, Tuscany, which provides an exciting opportunity to meet in an inviting setting to share research, practice and policy developments that enable a critical examination of novel approaches to creating better outcomes for justice involved people.
This year, as well as pre-conference workshops, we are excited to announce post-conference meetings. Stay tuned for details.
Key themes
The conference will give particular attention to:
Understanding crime and criminal behaviour in adults and young people
Family violence and child welfare
Gender, diversity and cultural considerations
Legal reforms for managing criminal behaviour
Advances in prevention and intervention programs and approaches to desistance from crime
Mental illness, trauma, personality dysfunction, substance misuse and crime
Risk, intervention, diversion and decarceration approaches and policy
Conference registration
Registrations for the Prato 2025 conference will open soon. Stay up to date by signing up to our mailing list.
Program details
Proceeding the conference, workshops will be held on Monday 29 September. We are also excited to announce that following the conference on Friday 3 October, we are planning post-conference meetings.
Workshop and meeting details will be announced closer to the conference. Watch this space!
Walking tour
- Date: Monday 29 September
- Time: Afternoon (details forthcoming)
- About: Join an insightful journey through Prato's squares and streets with an informative and friendly guide. See and learn about sites including the Piazza del Comune, Castello dell'Imperatore and Duomo.
- Fee: TBC
Welcome reception
- Date: Tuesday 30 September
- Time: 5.30pm–7.30pm
- Venue: Interludio il Ristorante (walled-garden restaurant)
- Fee: The fee is included for all delegates. Additional tickets for guests will be available when registrations open.
Conference dinner
- Date: Wednesday 1 October
- Time: TBC
- Venue: Villa Il Granduca
- Fee: The fee is included for all delegates. Additional tickets for guests will be available when registrations open.
Villa Il Granduca, located in Carmignano, is a beautiful Tuscan villa located in the Medici hills. The Villa is surrounded by expansive gardens, and offers a spectacular view toward Florence's Battistero and Duomo. Delegates will be transported from the Monash University Prato Centre directly to the venue via bus.
Conference location
Monash University Prato Centre
Palazzo Vaj
Via Pugliesi, 26
59100 Prato, Italia
The Monash University Prato Centre is located on the ground and first floors of the elegant 18th century Palazzo Vaj on Via Pugliesi in the historic centre of Prato.
Prato, in northern Tuscany, is close to several of Europe's most significant cities and institutions. It is located 20 minutes from Florence and the European University Institute in Fiesole, one hour from Bologna (home to Europe's oldest university), two hours from Rome and three hours from Milan.
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Further information
Places at the conference are limited and will be allocated on a first-registered basis.
All fees are in Australian dollars and do not include Australian GST. To convert to other currencies, you may use a currency conversion website such as XE Currency Converter as a guide.
Registration fees include the three-day conference, the welcome reception and the conference dinner. Fees do not include insurance of any kind.
Registration fees will be announced soon.
Cancellations
Cancellations must be advised in writing by 16 August 2025. There is an A$155 cancellation fee per registration.
After that date, refunds will only be issued in exceptional circumstances. Substitute delegates will be accepted.
By air
Florence airport (Peretola) is approximately 25 minutes by car or 40 minutes by bus to Prato. Taxis and buses run between Prato and Florence airport. A one-way taxi fare from Florence airport to the Monash University Prato Centre can cost 40-50 euro.
A bus service (operated by CAP bus company) departs every 15 minutes outside the airport on the main street. Tickets can be purchased from a newsagent (tabacchi) or on board the bus. You are advised to get off on Via del Ceppo Vecchio just before the castle (Castello dell'Imperatore) and continue on foot for three minutes to the Monash University Prato Centre.
Major airlines such as ITA Airways, British Airways, Air France and Lufthansa operate from Florence airport.
Pisa airport is approximately one hour and 50 minutes to Prato by train (requires changing train twice) or 70 minutes by Terravision bus to Firenze Santa Maria Novella train station in Florence. Low-cost airlines such as Ryanair and EasyJet operate from Pisa airport.
Bologna airport is a 30-minute taxi or bus ride from Bologna train station.
Rome airport (Leonardo Da Vinci-Fiumicino) is a 45-minute train ride to Rome Termini train station and three hours by train to Prato. The route involves three train changes.
By train
There are two train stations operating in Prato:
- Prato Centrale (main station – 15-minute walk to Palazzo Vaj)
- Prato Porta al Serraglio (secondary station – five-minute walk to Palazzo Vaj)
Prato is 25 minutes by train from Florence, 50 minutes from Bologna and 90 minutes from Pisa.
It is on Italy's major north-south railway line, which links Rome with Milan, Turin, Munich and beyond.
Prato offers a variety of accommodation for different needs and budgets – prices are seasonal. Please arrange your own accommodation by contacting hotels directly or consulting their websites.
The Monash University Prato Centre has recommended a range of accommodation options within close proximity to the venue.
A limited number of rooms (Comfort Rooms) have been reserved for delegates at the Hotel Art Milano. Please email info@arthotel-milano.it to book directly and quote ‘FORENSIC’ when making enquiries.
Accommodation in Prato can book out quickly. We strongly recommend booking accommodation well in advance.
Visa and consular information
It is the responsibility of delegates to confirm visa requirements and make suitable arrangements. For further information, consult the Italian Embassy in your home country.
Insurance
Conference registration fees do not include insurance of any kind. We recommended you take out personal travel and medical insurance when you register for the conference and book your travel which includes loss or damage of personal possessions, including loss of hotel payments and registration fees through cancellation.
The conference organisers do not take responsibility for participants failing to arrange their own insurance.
Weather
The weather in Northern Italy in October is usually pleasant with an average high of 21°C and low of 11°C. Evenings are usually cooler. As variations in temperature can occur, we recommend you prepare for cooler and warmer weather.
Professor Michael Daffern
Director – Centre for Forensic Behavioural Science
Swinburne University of Technology
mdaffern@swinburne.edu.au
Professor Rosemary Sheehan AM
Professor Emerita – Department of Social Work
Monash University
rosemary.sheehan@monash.edu
Have conference enquiries?
If you have enquiries about the Prato 2025 conference, please contact Brett McIvor (Conference Coordinator) via prato2025@swinburne.edu.au or +61 3 9214 3887.