Encyclopedia of Psychology and Law

must be included in our theoretical and practical mod-

els of those who have been victimized.

Barry R. Burkhart and

Mary Ellen Fromuth

See alsoBattered Woman Syndrome; Child Abuse Potential

(CAP) Inventory; Coping Strategies of Adult Sexual

Assault Victims; Elder Abuse; Rape Trauma Syndrome;

Reporting Crimes and Victimization; Sexual Harassment;

Victim-Offender Mediation With Juvenile Offenders;

Victim Participation in the Criminal Justice System

Further Readings

Finkelhor, D., & Browne, A. (1985). The traumatic impact

of child sexual abuse: A conceptualization. American

Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 55,530–541.

Finkelhor, D., Ormrod, R., Turner, H., & Hamby, S. L. (2005).

The victimization of children and youth: A comprehensive,

national survey. Child Maltreatment, 10,5–25.

Herman, J. L. (1992). Trauma and recovery. New York: Basic

Books.

Myers, J. E. B., Berliner, L., Briere, J., Hendrix, C. T., Jenny,

C., & Reid, T. A. (Eds.). (2002). The APSAC handbook on

child maltreatment (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Summit, R. C. (1983). The child sexual abuse accommodation

syndrome. Child Abuse & Neglect, 7,177–193.

VICTIM-OFFENDER

MEDIATIONWITH

JUVENILEOFFENDERS

Policymakers, social workers, and researchers have

long been reflecting on how to respond to youth crime.

In recent years, the concern that traditional approaches

stemming from retributive and rehabilitative models of

justice may no longer be viable responses to criminal

acts has increased the interest in alternative measures

and approaches originated within the restorative jus-

tice model. Central to this model is the notion that a

criminal act is an offense against a victim within the

context of a community, as opposed to a violation

against the state. Thus, a criminal act engenders a con-

flict among people and harms the victim; justice can-

not be achieved unless that conflict is solved and that

harm repaired. Based on this view, the offender along

with other individuals affected by the criminal act

(e.g., victim, community members) actively participate

in the resolution of the conflict, with the help of a fair

and impartial third party. Several measures have been

developed within the restorative model; of these mea-

sures, the oldest and most frequently adopted is

victim-offender mediation (VOM).

This entry provides a definition of VOM, describes

its goals, and outlines the key components of the VOM

process, including the role of the mediator. It then dis-

cusses the relation between VOM and the criminal

proceeding in the juvenile justice system. It also sum-

marizes evidence on the type of cases that are likely to

be mediated and the motivations behind victims’ and

offenders’ decisions to participate in VOM and

describes victims’ and offenders’ perceptions of the

VOM process. It also reviews the evidence concerning

the relation between participation in VOM and later

recidivism among juvenile offenders. Reflections on the

present and the future of VOM practice and research are

offered as conclusive remarks.

What Is VOM?

VOM is a process through which victims of crimes

meet the offender in a structured and safe environ-

ment. As a practice, VOM involves a face-to-face

meeting between the victim and the offender in the

presence of a trained mediator. The goal of VOM is to

create the opportunity for the victim and the offender

to engage in a dialogue addressing their informational

and emotional needs. The VOM process cannot begin

until the offender acknowledges his or her responsibil-

ity for the offense. Thus, VOM does not deal with

issues revolving around establishing the truth about

the occurrence of the offense but focuses on the con-

sequences of the offense.

The importance of conflict resolution distinguishes

VOM from other forms of mediation (e.g., mediation

in custody cases or in divorce cases) in which the

emphasis is placed on reaching a settlement rather

than on addressing the emotional consequences of the

facts in questions.

What Happens During VOM?

In most of the VOM programs, prior to the actual medi-

ation, the mediator contacts and meets separately with

the victim and the offender. During these sessions, the

mediator evaluates whether the parties are willing and

able to engage in VOM; the mediator also prepares the

parties for the subsequent meeting (e.g., by correcting

unrealistic expectations). To avoid feelings of rejection

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