NCJ Number
140289
Date Published
1992
Length
25 pages
Annotation
This first large cross-site evaluation of victim-offender mediation services involved multiple data sets, research questions, comparison groups, and multiple quantitative and qualitative techniques of analysis. The programs studied were located in Albuquerque, Austin, Minneapolis and St. Paul, and San Francisco.
Abstract
Issues included in the evaluation related to the mediation process and outcome, client satisfaction, perceptions of fairness, cost implications, restitution completeness, and recidivism. The data were collected through interviews with 1,153 crime victims and juvenile offenders, reviews of program records and court records, interviews with court officials and program staff, and observation of 28 mediation sessions. The findings showed that victim-offender mediation at these four sites resulted in high levels of client satisfaction and perceptions of fairness. Both victims and juvenile offenders believed the mediation process had a strong humanizing effect on the justice system response to crime. Mediation reduced fear of crime among victims. Juvenile offenders found mediation to be a significantly demanding response to their criminal behavior; it seemed effective in working with recidivists as well as more serious offenders. The mediation process also had a strong impact on the likelihood of offenders successfully completing their restitution obligation to their victims. Implications for justice policy and direct practice are noted. 14 tables, 7 figures, and 18 references