The mediation of severely violent crimes is not commonplace. Participation must be completely voluntary, for both victim and offender. Every aspect of the mediation process has the safety of the victim as its foremost concern. Only offenders who admit their guilt and express remorse and a desire to make amends are candidates for mediation. A growing number of victims of severely violent crimes are finding that confronting their offender in a safe and controlled setting returns their stolen sense of safety and control in their life.
Victims get answers to the often haunting questions that only the offender can answer.
With their questions answered, victims commonly report a new peace of mind, even when the answers to their questions were even worse than they had imagined or feared. In mediation, crime is personalized as offenders learn the real human consequences of their actions. Offenders are held meaningfully and personally accountable to their victims. Most mediation sessions result in a restitution agreement to, in some way, make amends or restore the victim's losses. Obviously, there is no way to restore the lost life of a loved one.