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Offenders, victims resolve their own cases

October 26, 2009

But after some consideration, the Lile brothers
agreed to hear what Wells had to say, and maybe save a customer. Wells
hadn’t been in trouble with the law before, and he seemed truly
remorseful, Chip Lile said.

“I hope what we did was hold someone accountable for their actions and give them a chance to make things right,” he said.

Victim-offender mediation, also called restorative justice, is gaining momentum in La Plata County.

The program allows victims and offenders to meet in
a safe and structured environment to discuss what happened and develop
a plan to right the wrong. The “punishment” usually involves the
offender paying restitution and performing community service.

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