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Restorative Justice: Victim/Offender Mediation

Following several other Canadian initiatives, the first United States program was launched in Elkhart, Indiana in 1978. From there it has spread throughout United States and Europe. There are more than 300 victim offender mediation programs in North America, and over 500 in Europe. Research on such programs has found higher satisfaction among victims and offenders who participated in mediation, lower fear among victims, a greater likelihood that the offender will complete a restitution obligation, and fewer offenders committing new offences, than among those who went through the normal court process. In 1997 The American Bar Association endorsed victim offender mediation and recommends its development in all courts throughout the country. .
             Victim offender mediation is not appropriate for all crimes. In all cases it must be presented as a voluntary choice to the victim. With more than twenty years of mediating many thousands of cases throughout North America, experience has shown that the majority of victims presented with the option of mediation choose to enter the process. In victim offender mediation, the involved parties are not "disputants". One has clearly committed a criminal offense and has admitted doing so. The other has clearly been victimized. Therefore, the issue of guilt or innocence is not meditated. While many other types of mediation are largely "Settlement driven," victim offender meditation is primarily "dialogue driven," with the emphasis upon victim healing, offender accountability, and restoration of losses. Most victim offender mediation sessions (frequently over 95%) do in fact result in a signed restitution agreement. Research has consistently found that the restitution agreement is less important to crime victims than the opportunity to talk directly with the offender about how they felt about the crime. .
             The basic focus of the initial contact for a victim offender mediation is to convey the communities commitment to responding to the crime in ways that hold the offender accountable for harms done and that are meaningful to the victim.


Essays Related to Restorative Justice: Victim/Offender Mediation

1. Restorative Justice

Known as victim-offender mediation. ... Many Restorative justice programs recognize the need for an offender to admit his or her guilt before moving on in the process of restoration. ... Family group conferencing is based on the same rationale as victim-offender mediation. ... Minnesota has been the pioneer in Restorative Justice; in 1994 the state hired Kay Pranis as full-time Restorative Justice Planner, along with the creation of the " Restorative Justice Initiative" in 1992. ... Exec. papers on corrections, Sept. 1999) Martin Pg3 Restorative justice is expressed through a wide ...

  • Word Count: 1005
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

2. Restorative Justice

Known as victim-offender mediation. ... Many Restorative justice programs recognize the need for an offender to admit his or her guilt before moving on in the process of restoration. ... Family group conferencing is based on the same rationale as victim-offender mediation. ... Minnesota has been the pioneer in Restorative Justice; in 1994 the state hired Kay Pranis as full-time Restorative Justice Planner, along with the creation of the " Restorative Justice Initiative" in 1992. ... Exec. papers on corrections, Sept. 1999) Restorative justice is expressed through a wide range of po...

  • Word Count: 998
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

3. Restorative Justice

Restorative justice recognizes three key parties to crime: the offender, victim and community. ... There are typically seven programs involved in restorative justice, which include, but are not limited to, victim-offender mediation, conferencing, circles, victim assistance, ex-offender assistance, restitution and community service. Victim-offender mediation, or VOM, provides the opportunity for a victim to meet his offender in a safe setting, usually engaging in a discussion regarding the crime with the help of a mediator. Some offenders may volunteer for victim-offender mediation in order...

  • Word Count: 1029
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

4. Restorative Justice

In this discussion paper from Restorative Justice to Transformative Justice the author talks about conflict in our society, our Justice System and the way in which the Restorative Justice system works. ... Restorative Justice is a general approach to conflict that help the offender make amends, and enables the victim to feel some sense of healing. ... Restorative Justice is a response to conflict that brings victims, offenders and the community together to collectively repair the harm that has been done in a manner that mutually satisfies their idea of justice. Restorative Justice recogni...

  • Word Count: 525
  • Approx Pages: 2
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

5. Michael Howard - Prison Works

In 1967 the Criminal Justice Act introduced the suspended prison sentence. ... When the new labour replaced the conservatives in 1997, they continued the 'get tough' law but argued that an 'excuse culture' had developed within the youth justice system and implied that young offenders could not help their behaviour because of their social circumstances. ... In the Criminal Justice System in England and Wales, sentencing and punishment has traditionally drawn from five models; Retribution, Deterrence, Rehabilitation, incapacitation and Restoration. ... Retribution is also see...

  • Word Count: 3653
  • Approx Pages: 15
  • Has Bibliography

6. Parole

Probation and parole are the most well-known forms of community corrections, but the term also includes house arrest, electronic monitoring, day fine programs, work release, furloughs, halfway houses, restitution, community service, drug/alcohol checks, check-in programs, curfews, mediation and restorative justice centers, and any other offender monitoring or reporting program that walks the line between trust and safety. ... Third a focus on accountability, for both offender and supervisor, which means that a plan is put in place for the offender to measure progress as well as a system is p...

  • Word Count: 1140
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

7. Human Behavior

They focus on the abstract need to balance the scales of justice by giving the wrongdoer what she deserves while, at the same time, respecting her dignity. ... I shall argue that it is through punishment that victim and community express their outrage at the victim's being devalued. ... One would think that expressivist theories would go some way toward dealing with victims' concerns, given that the victim wants and needs to express condemnation. ... The victim experiences resentment; the community experiences moral indignation. ... It is worth mentioning here that the alternative se...

  • Word Count: 2070
  • Approx Pages: 8
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

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