Source: (2010) In, Melinda Gyokos and Krisztina Lanyi, eds., European best practices of restorative justice in criminal Procedure. Budapest: Ministry of Justice and Law Enforcement, Republic of Hungary.pp.171-176.
Although victim offender mediation is not a brand new idea, it exists in Croatia only since 2001 and only as a pre-trial procedure for juvenile offenders. Its development was enabled by multiple changes happening simultaneously both globally and locally. During the nineties, Croatia was going through war and post-war problems. Transition to a new type of society included processes like democratization, differentiation, privatization, Europeanization and revitalization of religion. These processes created new needs and opportunities for citizens, as well as new personal and social problems. One of the problems was that existing strategies were not able to reduce new and old types of juvenile crime. On the other hand, this created an opportunity to get to know and to try to follow the world-wide changed perspective on juvenile justice. Focus was especially placed on restorative justice trends in Europe, children’s rights movement as well as changes regarding trends of law and treatment in neighbouring countries, especially Austria and Slovenia. (excerpt)
Your donation helps Prison Fellowship International repair the harm caused by crime by emphasizing accountability, forgiveness, and making amends for prisoners and those affected by their actions. When victims, offenders, and community members meet to decide how to do that, the results are transformational.
Donate Now