1,721,003 research outputs found
Victims and conferencing
No full textThe chapter examines the position of victims in ‘hergo’, the Flemish version of conferencing. In a conference, victim and offender are accompanied by support persons. Professional actors such as the police, a lawyer and/or social worker may attend. This research on conferencing complements the European research project on victim-offender mediation with some interesting results with regard to victims in a conferencing practice that was carried out in 2000-2005.
After describing the conferencing-project and its evaluation, the focus lies with the position of the victim. In about half of the conferences, a victim was present and felt well-prepared. Only a few victims brought along a support person. Preparation and raising realistic expectations proved to be crucial in order for the victim to be satisfied with the process. Even though the project from the start took the victim position into account, concerns remained regarding support persons, non-participating victims and achieving restoration of the damages.status: Publishe
Restorative justice and victims of crime
No full textThe chapter examines restorative justice literature and research in order to assess whether the victim is indeed central in the restorative justice discourse. Looking at the origins of both restorative justice and the victimological movement, similarities can be discerned, but generally restorative justice did spring from offender-oriented movement such as communitarianism, and diversionary approaches. The relation between restorative justice and criminal justice (the latter being offender-oriented), the implementation of restorative justice within offender-oriented organizations and offender-oriented research have casted doubt on the victim centrality.
Restorative justice evaluations generally show that victims are satisfied with their participation in restorative justice, voicing various reasons why they decided to participate. The flexibility of the process so it can be adapted to their needs and expectations was evaluated as important. Restoration may entail a sense of regaining control and being recognized as a victim. The complementary role between restorative justice and criminal justice can be important, with criminal justice offering a formal response and restorative justice an opportunity to voice concerns and questions. In conferencing, victims might not always feel really involved and the position of non-participating victims is a point of attention.status: Publishe
Methodology of a comparative European research
No full textThis chapter briefly describes the comparative research methodology used in a European research project on victims and restorative justice.status: Publishe
Introduction: ALTERNATIVE understandings of justice and security through restorative justice approaches
No full textThis introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book is based upon the work carried out in a European FP7 project entitled 'Developing alternative understandings of security and justice through restorative justice approaches in intercultural settings within democratic societies' (ALTERNATIVE). It offers original contributions on the action research methodology and results, while theoretical findings are spelled out in Pali and Aertsen. The book shows action research methods varied in the different sites. It sketches the wider scene of action research in criminology and criminal justice settings to frame the action research carried out in ALTERNATIVE. The book focuses more on group dynamics and identities through studying and supporting community-based restorative justice. It finally shows how an innovative comparative methodology was developed in order to grasp the differences and similarities in the four settings.status: Publishe
Victims’ victimization experiences and their need for justice
No full textRecent decades have seen an increasing academic, policy and advocacy interest in victims of crime. One feature qualitatively differentiates the experience of crime from other forms of harm: it is the inherent injustice and wrongfulness of criminal victimization. This chapter provides an overview of experiences of victims of crime, with an emphasis on the aspects relating to justice focusing on those elements most peculiar for victims of crime: its wrongfulness, the needs relating to the interaction with the criminal justice system and issues concerning the translation of victims’ needs and interests into rights within the criminal justice process.
First we look at the reality and social construction of victimization, and we describe the difference between indirect, secondary, tertiary and repeat victims. Secondly, we differentiate between the harmfulness (various consequences) and wrongfulness of crime victimization. Thirdly, we evaluate what justice needs victims may have after victimization and how these relates to victim rights. We conclude that these needs will vary according to e.g. the personality and life story of the victim, as well as characteristics of both the crime and the offender, and therefore we think ‘interests’ are a better word, especially when looking into the wrongfulness of the victimization and the response by the criminal justice system.status: Publishe
Restorative justice practices and community building: two of a kind?
No full textIn this paper, we will explore similarities and differences between restorative justice practices and community building. In 2012-2016 we coordinated a European research project, ALTERNATIVE, in which action research was set up to evaluate restorative justice practices for conflicts in intercultural settings. The idea was to study the field during one year and then implement restorative justice in diverse settings such as social housing (Austria), a community with a Roma minority (Hungary), border towns with people with a different ethnic background (Serbia) and different religious communities (Northern Ireland). In practice however, we found it difficult to implement RJ in such intercultural settings when people were not aware of RJ principles or techniques such as non-violent communication. Therefore, the different sites implemented trainings and workshops, which can be closely related to community building. This presentation therefore describes some of these practices and reflects upon the similarities and differences between RJ and community building.status: Publishe
Non-participating victims in restorative justice
No full textThis paper studies the needs and expectations of victims who decide not to participate in restorative justice practices such as mediation or conferencing. A core principle of a restorative justice meeting entails its voluntariness: victims and offenders are generally free to decide whether or not to participate. When an offender does not choose to participate, the meeting cannot take place. When the offender does choose to participate, a meeting can take place with victims who choose either to attend or to have an input e.g. through a representative or a letter. When victims decide not to participate but the mediation or conference nevertheless takes place, it is unclear to what extent these victims' needs are addressed. Recent research shows that non-participating victims are often not informed of the outcome of the meeting, possibly because the mediators/facilitators are inclined to give priority to the offender’s privacy. Furthermore, we know of no research on the extent to which these victims turn to the traditional criminal justice system or whether their needs and interests are addressed in another way.status: Publishe
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