Victim-Offender Mediation in Denmark: English summary of the evaluation – carried out by CASA (the Centre of Social Analysis)

Source: (2003) Glostrup, Denmark: The Danish Crime Prevention Council. Downloaded 29 April 2005.

A victim-offender mediation experiment has now been going on for 4 years in Ringsted, Roskilde, and Glostrup police districts. In victim-offender mediation the victim and the offender in minor criminal cases meet voluntarily face to face to talk about what has happened. It is prerequisite that the perpetrator admits his guilt. The aim of victim-offender mediation is to give the victims the opportunity – by meeting the offender – of dealing with their fear, frustration, and irritation; feelings that may be related to the experience of being the victim of a crime. The aim for the perpetrator is to give him a sense of responsibility and is thus a crime preventive perspective. Victim-offender mediation is led by a neutral mediator.

At the outset, police caseworkers ask offenders and victims if they are interested in taking part in victim-offender mediation. If both parties say yes, the cases are sent on to the mediators, who then talk to the interested victims and perpetrators and tell them more about the process and maybe make an appointment for mediation. CASA (the Centre for Alternative Social Analysis) has followed the experiment during all 4 years and this is the final evaluation. The evaluation is primarily based on questionnaires and interviews with victims and perpetrators. (Questionnaires from 57% of all participants – 61% of the victims have answered, and 54% of the perpetrators). Moreover, material has been collected from the police’s and the mediators’ visitation. Furthermore, some caseworkers from the police, the Chief Constables in the three police districts, and the mediators have been interviewed. CASA has participated in a number of meetings in the three police districts. (excerpt)