Source: (2011) Newsletter of the European Forum for Restorative Justice. 12(3):5-6.
The primary purpose of the study was to assess the ability and willingness of offenders to participate in mediation after sentencing, with special regard to the internal and external factors supporting and hindering this. The initial findings show a significant distinction between young and adult offenders in terms of their willingness to take part in a mediation process. With young convicts mediation should only be used after careful preparation, simply because most of them are not prepared in any way to meet their victims. The younger age group is dominated by violence, which reduces the chances for remorse and reconciliation. They often lack empathy, reject the concept of guilt, and blame the other party of the environment for what happened. By contrast, adult prisoners seem to be more prepared to meet their victims. (excerpt)
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