“Victim sensitive offender dialogue in crimes of severe violence: Differing needs, approaches, and implications.”

Source: (2001) Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Office for Victims of Crime.

In this monograph the authors focus on the pursuit of restorative justice through victim offender dialogue. In particular they address issues regarding the application of restorative principles and processes (such as victim offender mediation) to cases involving severe violence. Differing approaches to victim sensitive offender dialogue are categorized and analyzed. Of three types, the authors concentrate on elaborating a type they designate as “humanistic mediation,” which they characterize as “dialogue-driven.” Through statistics, anecdotes, and case studies, they argue for the effectiveness of victim sensitive offender dialogue in cases of severe violence, even while they point to many unanswered questions in this area.