Some offenders may volunteer for victim-offender mediation in order to avoid a more difficult outcome. It is thought that offenders who go through this process are less likely to be a repeat offender than those who go through the normal court process as well as reducing fear among victims.
Conferencing was used as a new way of dealing with juveniles, rather than passing them through the same criminal justice program as adults. It gave the family the right to make decisions regarding the young offender, as well as allowing the input of community groups the appropriate sanction for the child. It increases the offender's awareness of the impact of their crime, as well as allowing the three key parties to determine the proper way to address the aftermath of the crime. It provides the offender the opportunity to accept responsibility for the crime and helps shape the offender's future behavior. .
Peacemaking or sentencing circles are an appropriate plan to bring justice to all the parties involved is determined. The goals of circles are mainly to promote healing in all affected parties and allowing the community to come together to stand behind a victim, focusing mainly on emotions and feelings. It is, again, similar to VOM and conferencing in that it allows the victim and the offender to come together to discuss the crime at hand, but allows the community a voice in the decision making process. .
Victim assistance assists the victim through the criminal justice process while they recover from the crime. The victim assistance programs have a number of goals which include legal representation to the victims (prevents victim from being victimized again from neglect of the system), meet victims" physical and psychological needs and allow victims to work their way back into society. .
Crime victims" representation has been put into effect because rights advocates realized that there was a conflict of interest when a government prosecutor agrees to represent both the victim and the offender.