Restorative Justice and Victims > Mediation
Victim
– Offender mediation enables communication between
people after a crime has been committed.
Mediation is a way of helping victims of crime to
express their needs and it also provides the
opportunity for offenders to take responsibility for
their behaviour. Staff from the Restorative Justice
Team have been specially trained to assist in the
mediation process at all stages.
The Restorative Justice Team can take referrals from
either victim or offender however, mediation is
voluntary for both parties. Mediation can be:
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Indirect - When a mediator acts as a go between, passing information (either verbally or by letter) between victim and offender.
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Direct - When a victim and offender decide to meet, following careful preparation. This would happen in a safe place and in the presence of mediators.
| See an example of indirect mediation here - this indirect mediation took place between a victim and a young man who committed an offence of attempted burglary in April 2008. In November the same year he was convicted at the local youth court and sentenced to a 6 month referral order. The young man in question has not come to the attention of the Youth Offending Team since - see the letter from the offender and the reply from the victim |
Benefits of Mediation ... for the victim
Victims of crime can be left feeling angry, fearful
and their lives can be disrupted for a long time
afterwards. Mediation offers the chance to :
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Have questions answered
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Explore feelings resulting from the crime
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Tell the offender how the crime has affected them
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Receive an apology
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Ask that the offender makes amends in some practical way (reparation)
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Reduce the fear of crime and further victimisation.
“I had questions that only he could answer and I
wanted him to know how he made me feel.”
Benefits of Mediation ... for the offender
Offenders can be left feeling remorseful and
want to find a way to put the offence behind them.
Mediation offers them the chance to:
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Take responsibility for their actions
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Explain why they acted as they did
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Confront the effects of their offending on the victim
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Apologise
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Make amends
“For the first time I realised I was harming real
people”
Benefits of Mediation ... for the community
Communities can be left feeling vulnerable, fearful
and helpless. Mediation offers them:
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A direct and constructive response to crime
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Reduction of the fear of crime
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An opportunity for reparation
