The Process of Victim Offender Mediation

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Criminal mediation is one way of solving criminal disputes in the united states of America , and has been used a lot in this domain , so the main example is the ( victim –offender) mediation , which raises the question of how does this system work? And what are its effects?

So in this section, we will discuss in (part one) how the VOM works, and what are its effects in (part two).

Part One: How Does The Victim-Offender Mediation (VOM) Work?

In general, mediation is directed by a neutral third party who can by what he had of skills and abilities focus on guiding the behaviors of the parties towards discussing the issues that need to be faced, while receiving separate and confidential communications from the parties until he reached a certain level of understanding with them that the conflict can be resolved.

So in my opinion, the mediator’s role is to try to reach a balance between the two parties of the conflict to encourage the exchange, and to facilitate the negotiations between them to reach a mutual solution that will hold reciprocal satisfaction.

However, the Victim-Offender Mediation (VOM) programs have focused on a restorative justice approach, which sees the actual victim of the crime as the party to be made whole, and the offender is held responsible for his or her actions. So it can be said that the VOM programs focus on the relationship, and healing the harm done to the victim.

This type of programs take place before trial, and involves the victim, the offender, the community in order to rebuild the trust, and to resolve the criminal conflict in a way that is fair to the parties.

Victim-offender mediation gives victims of property crimes and minor assaults the chance to meet the juvenile or adult offender...

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...ediation Dialogue Programs, available at: www.vorp.com/articles/abaendors.html (last visited 3-20-2014)

Maureen E. Fallen Remarks On Case-Management and criminal mediation 40 Idaho L. Rev. 580 (2003)

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Mark S. Umbriel, Robert Coates, Betty Vos. Victim-Offender Mediation: Three Decades of Practice and Research, 22 Conflict Resol. 287 - 288 (2004).

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Jo-Anne Wemmers , Katie Cyr What Fairness Means To Crime Victims: A Social Psychological Perspective On Victim-Offender Mediation available at : http://www.apcj.org/documents/2_2_fairness.pdf last visit 3-21-2014

William Bradshaw, David Roseborough Restorative Justice Dialogue: The Impact of Mediation and Conferencing on Juvenile Recidivism available at: http://www.uscourts.gov/uscourts/federalcourts/pps/fedprob/2005-12/restorative.html last visit: 3-24-2014.

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