Dialogue Driven: Victim Sensitive
- Speak from the heart in a shared search for understanding of the event and to identify the steps necessary to assist in healing all affected parties and prevent future occurrences.”
- Primary points of focus are to provide an opportunity for victims and offenders to talk directly to each other; to allow victims to express the full impact of the crime upon their lives and receive answers to important questions they have; to allow offenders to understand the real human impact of their behavior and take direct responsibility for seeking to make things right.
- Restitution is important but secondary to the dialogue about the impact of the crime.
- Victims are continually given choices throughout the process: where to meet, who should be present, etc.
- Separate preparation meetings are conducted with victims and offenders prior to bringing them together, with emphasis prior to bringing them together, with emphasis upon listening to how the crime has affected them, identifying their needs, and preparing them for te mediation or conference.
- A nondirective style of facilitation is modeled with the parties talking most of the time. The conference incorporates a ..use of silence, deep listening, and the use of a humanistic or transforming conference model.
- The conference is marked by a high tolerance for expressions of feelings and of the full impact of crime.
- RJ conferencing is Voluntary for both victims and offenders.
- Trained community volunteers serve as case facilitator’s ..along with staff.
- The conference session is dialogue-driven and typically about an hour to two hours in length.
FEES: $100 per Case Referral
