A victim-sensitive approach towards victim – offender mediation in crimes

an analysis

Abstract

Victim-offender mediation has experienced significant recent growth. Such mediation is a by-product of restorative justice theory, which downplays the need of punishing perpetrators severely in favour of assisting victims in obtaining justice and closure. The UN Declaration on Basic Principles of Justice for the Victims of Crime and Abuse of Power, adopted in 1985, calls for the use of informal procedures, such as mediation, arbitration, and the adoption of indigenous practices, to settle disputes and offer reparations to crime victims. The results of using a victim-sensitive approach to mediation are examined in this research. It intends to highlight the expense of setting up and operating restorative justice programmes in relation with criminal justice, as well as the major ethical and professional concerns involved. While addressing a number of crucial challenges for criminal justice, the paper also places these findings within the expanding international academic and policy debates concerning restorative justice.