http://www.restorativejustice.org Articles discussing the practice of victim offender mediation. daily 1 2009-02-23T23:01:44Z http://www.restorativejustice.org/RJOB/letting-victims-define-justice from the article by Steve Sullivan for Restorative Justice Week 2011: ....There is a growing myth that for victims, justice requires tougher penalties. If only it was that simple. There is no evidence that punishment is as important to the majority of victims as some would have us believe. When asked in one study why they reported the crime, sexual assault victims listed punishment of the offender very low on their list of priorities. No publisher dvanness Practice Mediation System Other Victim 2011-12-19T21:19:09Z News Item http://www.restorativejustice.org/RJOB/restorative-justice-in-the-community from Melanie G. Snyder's blog entry: Michael was 16. He was an angry kid. He spent most of his days just “hanging out” around the neighborhood. One day, Michael was “hanging out” in a small Lancaster grocery store. While he was in the store, Michael pulled a cigarette lighter out of his pocket, lit the corners of a few boxes on the shelves and watched as the flames spread. Then he ran away. The fire caused $1500 worth of damage. Michael got caught, and he was sent to juvenile court. If we think about how the traditional criminal justice system would have most likely handled this, Michael would probably have been charged with arson (a felony), possibly charged as an adult, and likely would have been sent to juvenile detention or jail for some period of time. After coming out of detention or jail, having a felony record would have affected the rest of Michael’s life in numerous ways. No publisher dvanness Story Mediation Practice 2011-09-06T01:01:57Z News Item http://www.restorativejustice.org/RJOB/npr-victims-confront-offenders-face-to-face from Laura Sullivan's interview with Sujatha Baliga on Talk of the Nation: BALIGA: Yes. And I said there's no chance. You know, this is not a case for restorative justice. The system is not amenable, particularly in your state. And I can't tell too many details, because we're still finishing things up with that case right now. It's not quite a done deal yet. But we're close. And the mother of this young man was so persistent and told me that she had actually been meeting with the girl's parents. She and her husband were meeting with the girl's parents, and that the girl's parents actually were the one interested in restorative justice. And she said, Can I give them your information? I said I'd be happy to talk to them and tell you the same thing I'm telling you, which is that this is not happening. (SOUNDBITE OF LAUGHTER) No publisher dvanness Practice Victim Mediation Other Region: North America and Caribbean Case:Homicide Country:USA 2011-07-29T18:24:48Z News Item http://www.restorativejustice.org/RJOB/listening-to-crime-victims-north-carolina-restorative-justice-conference by Lisa Rea When crime victims speak about the effect violent crime has had on their lives you have to listen. On June 9th I moderated a crime victims roundtable during the 3rd Annual Restorative Justice Conference in Raleigh, North Carolina coordinated this year by Campbell University Law School. The roundtable called "Listening to Crime Victims: Their Journeys Toward Healing" was sponsored by the Journey of Hope: From Violence to Healing. The four victims of violence who told their stories were Bill Pelke, chair, Journey of Hope: From Violence to Healing (Alaska), Stephen Watt, Stephen Watt Ministries (Wyoming) , Bess Klassen-Landis, musician and teacher (Vermont), and Kim Book, executive director, Victims Voices Heard (Delaware). No matter how many crime victims panels I have moderated the stories are always riveting and often what I hear the victims say is new even when I am familiar with the stories. I learn something new as the victims move along in their lives---their own personal journeys. No publisher dvanness Story Practice Victim Correspondent:Lisa Rea Mediation Other Case:Violence Region: North America and Caribbean Case:Sexual Case:Homicide Forgiveness Country:USA 2011-08-03T02:03:40Z News Item http://www.restorativejustice.org/RJOB/restorative-justice-aims-to-reduce-relapsing from Elaine Attard's article in Malta Independent Online: ....The new Bill will see the creation of a new section within the Probation Services. Its functions would be to draw up a victims’ charter, approved by the ministry, to establish the criteria for mediators’ appointment and to promote mediation between the victims and offenders. The minister described this move as an ambitious one towards empowering victims and to give them the attention they deserve in the restorative process. Mediation helps victims understand why offences were perpetrated while the offender can take the responsibility of his or her offence. No publisher dvanness Practice Government Mediation Legislation Country:Malta 2011-01-27T00:18:44Z News Item http://www.restorativejustice.org/RJOB/restorative-justice-dialogue-an-essential-guide-for-research-and-practice Restorative Justice Dialogue: An essential guide for research and practice. Mark Umbreit and Marilyn Peterson Armour (2010). New York: Springer Publishing Co. 339 pages. No publisher dvanness Conference Practice Book Review Mediation Circle 2010-10-06T18:46:55Z News Item http://www.restorativejustice.org/RJOB/restorative-justice-conferencing-tthe-key-for-victims-is-in-one-question from Kris Miner's entry on Restorative Justice and Circles: One area of Restorative Justice Professionalism I focus on, is remembering ALL victims. Some victims do not get a victim-witness worker through the prosecutor’s office. The list of Victims Rights for Wisconsin is very court-room, criminal justice system process orientated. That’s good, victims need support and help navigating that. What I do is restorative justice, and in striving to do that well for all victims I have experienced a conferencing question that is KEY. No publisher dvanness Mediation Other Practice Victim 2010-08-01T23:28:55Z News Item http://www.restorativejustice.org/RJOB/valuable-resources-victims-voice-safe-justice-and-lemonaide by Dan Van Ness I just came across several treasures that will be extremely useful to people who have been, who love, or who work with crime victims. The first is the website of Victims' Voice, a Canadian NGO sponsored by the Mennonite Central Committee and whose purpose is "to address the revictimization of victims in the criminal justice system, to create understanding about victims among practitioners who work within the system and to give emotional and informational support directly to victims through victim-centered programs." The website has a number of resources that can be downloaded. And it contains links to two more sites, also sponsored by Victims' Voice. No publisher dvanness Practice Correspondent:Dan Van Ness Mediation Other Victim 2011-09-23T13:30:46Z News Item http://www.restorativejustice.org/RJOB/special-issue-mediation-and-conferencing-in-child-protection-disputes In 1997, Family Court Review published the first special volume focused on child welfare mediation. At the time it was a relatively new field gaining ground in a number of states and provinces. Since then mediation and other alternatives to traditional and adversarial child welfare proceedings have been emerging and evolving across the United States, Canada, and the world. In this follow-up to the first special volume, the articles trace the history of the development of mediation and family group decision-making programs in the child welfare arena. No publisher dvanness Conference Mediation Practice Region: North America and Caribbean Child Welfare 2009-05-22T04:46:01Z News Item http://www.restorativejustice.org After two young men fight resulting in the death of one, it takes eight years before a victim-offender conference is held. The conference brings peace to both the victim's mother and the offender. Editor Country:Australia Media Mediation Practice Region: Pacific Story 2007-03-04T23:41:09Z RJ Article http://www.restorativejustice.org Penal mediation has a long history in Taiwan. It is part of local autonomy administration and has the function of auxiliary justice、restoration、diversion and high acceptance by the public. They are two purposes for this study: to find out whether the penal mediation contains the elements of restorative justice and to find out the affecting factors that could maximize the benefits of penal mediation. Two research methods are used. It interviewed 3 mediation commission chairpersons and 3 mediation commission secretaries. It also surveyed 498 mediation participants. The results of in-depth interview show that interviewees used “social conflict＂ rather than “crime＂ to view the mediation case under mediating，and penal mediation contains the elements of restorative justice, diversion, emotional release ,harm reduction and relation rebuilt. It is very important that the mediation members hold an attitude of rationality and fairness in order to achieve mediation agreement. Survey results show that more than 80% percent of the respondents positively responded to procedural satisfaction，result satisfaction ,restoration and identification with the mediation system. In addition, if there are sufficient opportunity for interactive dialogues and conciliation among participants, the mediation results are better. Multiple regression indicates that subjective procedural factors(attitudes toward the mediation commission members), and the objective procedural factors(the meeting was conducted in a circumscribed location, the amount of monetary restitution, the number of times the mediation was conducted and the length of time the meeting was conducted) are the major affecting factors of penal mediation success. It is therefore suggested that mediation meeting which is conducted in a circumscribed location, participants are able to release their emotions, commission members are fair and rational, these factors are able to increase the power and will of participants’ restoration. It is also suggested that interactive dialogues among participants should be encouraged. (authors' abstract) Cheng-Dar Huang and Yu-Shu Chen and Chuen-Jim Sheu Country:Taiwan Mediation Practice Region: Asia 2007-03-04T23:41:09Z RJ Article http://www.restorativejustice.org Victim—offender mediation has grown to establish itself among criminal justice practices as an alternative to traditionally retributive notions of justice. As the number of programs claiming to be restorative in nature continues to grow, victim—offender mediation programs are emerging as one of the state's preferred delivery methods for restorative justice. Restorative practices, including victim—offender mediation, are inclusive practices. Participation is not only encouraged, it is a necessary element for victim—offender mediation to achieve restorative outcomes. Through the use of observations and content analysis of agreements produced in victim—offender mediation, this research uncovers several impediments to individual participation, including problems in the implementation of restorative practices; participant domination, including victim lecturing; and a lack of awareness among the participants about the restorative vision of justice. (author's abstract) Gerkin, Patrick M. Mediation Practice 2007-03-04T23:41:09Z RJ Article http://www.restorativejustice.org As a qualified mediator and trainer,I have been able to use my training and experience in my work in the Victims Unit to work between victims, family members and offenders to mediate and facilitate transformational experiences which have impacted into the lives of the people concerned. I am repeating one case study so that those working with offenders are aware that there is some potential for Victim Offender Mediation from a Restorative Justice perspective. (excerpt) Goldstone, Sharon Mediation Practice 2007-03-04T23:41:09Z RJ Article http://www.restorativejustice.org One of the greatest challenges that parents face in child protection mediation (CPM) is to voice their concerns and negotiate on a relatively equal basis with the other mediation participants. This article considers how imbalances of power, limited confidentiality protection, and the personal problems that bring parents into the child protection process can limit a parent’s ability to exercise self-determination in mediation and offers guidance for mediators seeking to conduct CPM in a manner that effectively empowers parents to meaningfully and collaboratively participate in mediation. (Articles Abstract) Firestone, Gregory Article Child Welfare Mediation Practice 2007-03-04T23:41:09Z RJ Article http://www.restorativejustice.org The Child Protection Mediation Program in Cook County, Illinois is the result of a collaborative effort on the part of the court, its stakeholders, and the attorneys involved in child protection cases. Child protection mediation empowers families and includes parents in many decisions impacting their children. It also helps judges to move children’s cases through the legal system more rapidly and in a more efficient and humane manner. This results in children achieving more timely permanency. The program is sustained in part due to frequent outreach to, and input from, the program’s consumers. These help to ensure that the program is meeting the diverse needs of the court, the families, and the professionals involved in the cases. (Author's Abstract) Martin, Patricia M. Article Child Welfare Country:USA Mediation Practice Region: North America and Caribbean 2007-03-04T23:41:09Z RJ Article