An Evaluation of the Victim Component of the Restorative Resolutions Program: A Comparison Between Restorative Resolutions Victims and Victim Services Victims.

Source: (2004) M.S.W. thesis, Department of Social Work, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada.

The research examines victim involvement in the Restorative Resolutions program, and compares victims’ needs and satisfaction. Restorative justice is the theoretical framework used to guide the evaluation. A mixed design method utilizing open and close-ended survey questions administered post program / post sentence was used. The data source included two groups of victims – those who participated in the Restorative Resolutions program and those who did not participate in the program. The victims who did not participate in the program were drawn from Victim Services’ database (Winnipeg Police Service). Victims’ needs were compared quantitatively and qualitatively. To analyze satisfaction, three scales were developed which included: a satisfaction scale, a participation scale and an outcome scale. Satisfaction between the two groups is compared using the satisfaction and outcome scales, and the participation scale is used determine the relationship between participation and satisfaction in the program. The findings suggest that firstly victims value the needs inherent in restorative justice but Victim Services victims did not have the same opportunity to access these needs as Restorative Resolutions victims. Secondly, victims who participated in the program were more satisfied than victims who did not participate in the program. For victims who participated in the Restorative Resolutions program, the greater the level of participation, the greater the satisfaction. Author’s abstract.