Sorting Out Conflict and Repairing Harm: Using Victim Offender Conferences in Court Processes to Deal with Adult Crime

Abstract

This paper considers the role that restorative justice conferences can play in making court processes more accessible to victims and offenders. It uses examples of actual conferences to demonstrate how the process can work in practice. This conclusion is that victim offender mediation offers therapeutic opportunities for both victims and offenders and, subject to ensuring proper quality of the process, should be incorporated into the court system.

Keywords: restorative justice conferences, victim offender mediation, therapeutic jurisprudence, sentencing

JEL Classification: K10, K14, K29, K40, K49