NCJ Number
87801
Journal
Federal Probation Volume: 46 Issue: 4 Dated: (December 1982) Pages: 63-68
Date Published
1982
Length
6 pages
Annotation
The Victim Offender Reconciliation Program (VORP) combines conflict resolution techniques with the concept of restitution by bringing victims and offenders together to work out a restitution agreement with the assistance of a volunteer facilitator.
Abstract
VORP sessions emphasize the expression of feelings and the answering of questions about the facts of the case. Victims have the opportunity to express their intense feelings of frustration, hurt, and anger directly to the person involved. Thus, the traumatic experience of being a victim receives full attention. The process also holds the offender personally accountable and makes offenders confront the real consequences of their acts. Volunteers who are neutral and represent the community are essential to the VORP concept. They work closely with the courts but are independent of them. Current VORP programs focus mainly on property offenses, although some violent offenses have been handled as well. Private organizations generally administer the programs. The VORP concept can be a total or partial substitute to incarceration. Footnotes are provided.