Victims in Restorative Justice at Post-sentencing level. A Manual

Abstract

The content of this manual evolved from the research project ‘Restorative Justice at post-sentencing level; supporting and protecting victims’ carried out by an international European team from Belgium, Croatia, Germany, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom. This manual is one of several project publications. The target group of this manual consists of those who are, in the widest sense, related to the work with victims of crime but also those, who are interested in Restorative Justice. This manual describes how victims of crime and therewith offenders and the community can be supported in various different ways. Therefore, the awareness of their needs is central at the outset. Furthermore, it aims to provide understanding of the individual process of coping and may therefore also lead to more self-awareness. If the victim is interested and prepared, it is possible to carry out Restorative Justice procedures in all types of crime and at all levels of seriousness, as long as it fits the person’s needs. The different steps to gain understanding of the situation of a victim and to provide support, as well as to empower in order to deal with what has occurred, are described in this manual. The different phases, before, during and after a restorative process, will be outlined as well as various RJ-procedures, from indirect victim-offendermediation to conferencing and possible techniques to apply during these procedures. That an atmosphere of trust is essential during the whole process appears evident as it is a basic principle of all Restorative Justice procedures. In order to provide better orientation, each sub-section is initiated with a number of key issues, which are then elaborated in a short text and concluded with a precise recommendation for practitioners to apply in the work with victims. More experienced practitioners can use this manual as a book of reference and concentrate on the recommendation whereas those, who have had less contact with victims in their work, can use it as an additional guide. In the final section, some case studies from the project partners England, Schleswig-Holstein, Portugal and Croatia give an exemplary insight into the restorative work carried out, from the victim perspective only.