Victim-Offender Mediation Essay

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Victim-Offender mediation programs give both the victim and the offender of a crime the chance to meet in person or indirectly via “shuttle dialogue” (Kirkwood, 2010). A shuttle dialogue takes place when the victim does not wish to meet in person with the offender, but they still want to have an indirect conversation with the offender. In this case the mediator will proxy information from the victim to the offender and vice versa. One goal of victim-offender mediations is to aid in the healing process of the victim by giving the victim a safe and controlled environment in order to talk to the offender. Another goal is for the offender to learn how their decision to commit a crime against the victim has affected them. This also allows the offender to acknowledge what they did was wrong and take responsibility for their actions. The last goal of victim-offender mediation, that I will mention, allows for the victim and the offender to come up with a mutual plan that states the harm that was produced as aftermath of the crime committed (Gerkin, 2009). One advantage of victim-offender mediation is that it can give both parties closure to the crime that was committed. For the victim closure can come in two forms. The first comes through the victim being able to say everything that they have wanted to say to the offender in hopes of receiving an apology. The second form occurs when they receive an apology from the offender. This apology lets the victim know that the offender feels remorse for what they have done and that they are sorry for committing the crime. You can see how the first form of closure can lead to the second, however, just because the victim gets to say what they want to say does not mean that they will receive an apology. Closure for the offender happens after they are afforded the chance to hear what the victim has to say. After listening to

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