To plan an effective education program on this matter for dental professionals, a survey assessing current knowledge and practices was sent to California dental professionals. Dr. Ramos-Gomez is assistant professor of pediatric dentistry at the UC San Francisco Department of Growth and Development. He also serves as director of pediatric dental services, Family Dental Center at San Francisco General Hospital. Community conferences bring together victim and offender. Both parties describe the crime's impact on them.
Symbolic reparation integrates the social rituals of respect, courtesy, apology, and forgiveness.
The process provides a first step toward reintegration of the offender into society. Community conferencing offers an important tool for controlling crime after the fact, but it does not directly address crime prevention. Dr. Scheff proposes introducing mediation courses at all levels of schools as a direct approach to preventing crimes before they happen. Dr. Scheff is professor emeritus of sociology and anthropology at UC Santa Barbara. He also serves as president of the Pacific Sociological Association.