Source: (1983) University of Toronto Law Journal. 33:315-347.
This study of two Ontario Victim/Offender Reconciliation Programs (VORP) question whether they are unintentionally “widening the net” of social control over offenders. VORP’s acceptance can largely be attributed to cooptation of the program’s functioning by traditional court operatives. Judges and prosecutors saw the program largely as an aid to crime victims. The selection criteria narrowed the client population to lesser offenders who appeared workable and easy to manage administratively. Although VORP appears to have widened the net, it may have made other sentencing options more attractive. It can also be supported for the service it provides crime victims.
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