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The VORP Process

Victim-offender reconciliation is a process through which a trained mediator, often a volunteer, brings offenders and victims in a criminal event together to achieve a resolution that is satisfactory to both parties. 

Victim-offender reconciliation seeks to…

… identify crime that can be successfully dealt with in the community;

… effect reconciliation and understanding between victims and offenders;

… facilitate the reaching of agreements between victims and offenders regarding restitution;

… assist offenders in directing payment of their ‘debt to society’ to their victims;

… involve community members in work with problems that normally lead into the criminal justice process.  

VORP provides victims with…

… an opportunity to actively participate in the process of resolving the incident.

… a greatly increased chance of receiving restitution and reparation.

… an opportunity to be more fully informed about the incident itself, about the offender and about the criminal justice system and its processes;

… an opportunity to resolve the incident in a peaceful way;

… an opportunity to experience a sense of closure.  

VORP provides offenders with…

… an opportunity to be aware of the harm suffered by victims, the human cost and consequences;

… an opportunity to ‘make it right’ with the victim, to acknowledge responsibility, and to do whatever is reasonable and possible to make amends

… an opportunity to take responsibility in a serious and honest way, often without being left with a criminal record.

… an opportunity to be more fully informed about what is happening and why, about the criminal justice system and its processes, about the impact of his/her actions on the victim(s) and the community, and about options for dealing with charges faced;

… an opportunity equal to that of the victim(s) to fully participate in finding a fair and reasonable way to resolve the incident.  

VORP benefits the community by…

… providing community members with an opportunity to develop skills which empower them to resolve present and future conflicts;

… giving community members  opportunities to practice their conflict resolution and mediation skills as mediators in criminal and other community conflicts;

… offering a cost-effective means
of resolving conflicts within the  community;

… increasing the likelihood of deterrence from further irresponsibility through having offenders take direct, face-to-face responsibility for their actions.  

VORP provides the criminal justice system with…

… an alternative process for dealing with a significant number of cases which would be unlikely to be resolved in a positive, meaningful way in the courts;

…  a low-cost means of resolving a significant number of cases;

… an effective alternative to the court process, helping to reduce crown counsel caseloads and to address the issue of overcrowded court-rooms and lengthy delays;

… an effective way to increase community understanding of, and participation in, the justice system;

… a process that can reduce victim frustrations and anger that would otherwise be projected onto the system itself.

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Copyright © 2003 Fraser Region Community Justice Initiatives Association