Youth Offenders Speak About Victim-Offender Mediation:

This paper explores the meaning and significance of a victim-offender mediation (VOM) program from the point of view of youth offenders. The authors conducted qualitative in-depth interviews with seven youth offenders and four sets of their parents who had recently participated in a VOM conference with the victims. Analysis of interview transcripts revealed the underlying motivations for the offenders ’ participation in the program, their emotional experience of the sessions, and the potential impact on the offenders for long-standing behavior change. Based on these results, the authors propose several implications for future practice and research for juveniles offender rehabilitation through restorative justice programs