Victim-Offender Mediation Impact upon Youth Crime

1. Victim-Offender MediationImpact upon Youth Crime Presented by Betty Noreen, Mediation Advisor North Star Youth Mediation Program (907) 457-6797, fax (907) 457-6791 nsycmed@mosquitonet.com www.mosquitonet.com/~nsyc/NSYMP/

2. Agenda • Victim-Offender Mediation • Based on Restorative Justice Principles • Characteristics and Benefits • Stages • Effect of VOM on Juvenile Offender Recidivism • North Star Youth Mediation Program • Questions and Comments

3. Victim-Offender Mediation is Based upon Restorative Justice Principles: • Offense is against people/community • All parties are affected • They take an active role in restoration • Offenders are held directly accountable • Repairs emotional and material harm • Restores losses

4. Restorative Justice Questions: • What is the harm? • What needs to be done to repair the harm? • Who is responsible for the repair?

5. VOM Characteristics and Benefits • Collaborative, not adversarial • Empowers Victims • Holds Offender accountable • Guilt/Innocence is not an issue • Victim’s questions are answered • Promotes mutual understanding • Develops mutually acceptable restitution plans • Provides closure for both victim and offender

6. VOM Stages • Referral and Screening • Pre-Mediation Meetings • Mediation • Follow Up • Review • Closure

7. The Effect of Victim Offender Mediation on Juvenile Offender Recidivism: A Meta-Analysisby Bradshaw, Roseborough & UmbreitConflict Resolution Quarterly, Vo. 24, No. 1, Fall 2006 “This article reports the results of a meta-analysis of the effects of victim offender mediation (VOM) on juvenile recidivism. Analyses were conducted on fifteen studies consisting of 9,172 juveniles in twenty-one service sites in the United States. Participation in VOM accounted for a 34 percent reduction in juvenile recidivism.”

8. North Star Youth Mediation Program • A program of North Star Youth Court in Fairbanks, Alaska • Began in 2001 with Victim-Offender Mediation and Peer Mediation • Parent-Teen Mediation added in 2005

9. Program Characteristics: • Non-Profit Organization, $25 referral fee • Co-facilitated by youth and adult mediators • Provides basic and parent-teen mediation training • Utilizes volunteer adult mediators • Monthly Youth Mediator Corps meetings • Develops youth leadership and competency • Promotes community awareness of alternative conflict resolution and restorative justice options

10. Program Goals: • To model good communication and conflict resolution skills with courtesy and respect. • To demonstrate that conflict exists universally and can have positive outcomes. • To teach the critical life-skill of how to resolve further conflict constructively. • To identify and focus on the underlying needs expressed in actions or positions. • To gain an understanding and appreciation of our differences and to identify similarities. • To learn something new about the other person and develop empathy and closeness. • To come to mutual agreement on how to resolve a conflict or repair a harm.

11. Potential Referral Sources • Victim-Offender Mediation • Youth Court Sentencing Option • Juvenile Probation Officers • Superior Court Juvenile Disposition • Alaska State Troopers/Police Officers • Peer Mediation • Schools & Youth Programs • Resource Agencies • Private Individuals • Parent-Teen Mediation • Children and Family Service Agencies • Private Individuals

12. Questions????