NCJ Number
105829
Date Published
1986
Length
14 pages
Annotation
This paper describes the basic elements of the initial model of the Victim Offender Reconciliation Program (VORP) implemented in Elkhart, Ind., and presents a brief case study.
Abstract
VORP's primary purpose is victim-offender reconciliation, which includes victims and offenders becoming aware of one another as persons, offender understanding of the victim's anger and frustration, victim understanding of the offender's motivation, offender's expression of remorse and the victim's acceptance of it, and the negotiation of a mutually acceptable restitution plan. Other VORP goals are to provide an alternative to incarceration, strengthen offender accountability, enhance offender rehabilitation, and strengthen victim services. Criteria for case referral are offender admission of guilt, an issue for negotiation, no overt hostility between victim and offender, and victim and offender willingness to participate. VORP is most effective when it is not just one among many sanction components and when it is not added on to a standard jail or prison sentence. This paper details procedures for preliminary victim-offender contact, the joint victim-offender meeting, the mediator's role, and case followup. The case study is the VORP in Valparaiso, Ind. 9 references.