Victim Offender Dialogue
What is Victim Offender Dialogue?
Victim Offender Dialogue (VOD) is a process in which victims and offenders meet face-to-face in a safe and structured environment to talk about what happened, who was harmed and how the harm can be repaired after a crime occurs. Trained facilitators are there to help guide the process.
VOD provides a way for victims to:
- Tell their story
- Speak to offenders about how the crime affected them, their family, and their life
- Discuss ways for offenders to repair the harm caused by their actions
- Have a voice in achieving what they believe is "justice"
- Seek solutions that meet their needs
- Victims and offenders who participate in Victim Offender Dialogue or similar meetings report high rates of satisfaction with the process and the outcome.
- Victims who meet their offenders report feeling safer and less fearful of revictimization than victims who do not meet their offenders.
- Offenders who meet their victims are more likely to complete their restitution agreements.
- Offenders who meet their victims commit fewer and less serious crimes in the future.
Victim Offender Dialogue is a free and voluntary service. Both the victim and the offender must agree to participate in the process. VOD can happen at any time before, during, or after a court case.
The Victim Offender Dialogue program primarily serves victims of juvenile crime in Allegheny County. However, if you are a victim of an adult offender and your offender is incarcerated in a state or county facility, the Dialogue and Resolution Center can assist you with setting up a Victim Offender Dialogue.
Types of cases that can be referred to VOD:
- Assault (Simple or Aggravated)
- Burglary
- Conspiracy
- Criminal Mischief
- Disorderly Conduct
- Harassment
- Property Crimes
- Recklessly Endangering Another Person
- Terroristic Threats
- Theft / Receiving Stolen Property
- Or any other case as appropriate
- Have been between the ages of 10 and 17 at the time of the offense.
- Accept responsibility for his/her actions and be willing to take steps to repair the harm created.
- Victims and offenders can tell their stories and speak directly to one another.
- A victim can ask questions and receive answers about what happened and why.
- Victims and offenders are active participants in the process and decide the outcome.
- Offenders learn about the impact of their crime by hearing directly from victims and others who were affected.
- Offenders take steps to repair the harm created by their crime and have a chance to apologize or make other amends.
- The parties are empowered to meet their needs in the way that works best for them and their situation.
- The parties can avoid many of the delays associated with traditional court processes.
- Victims and offenders have a say in the consequences the offender will face as a result of the crime, whether it is restitution, community service, counseling, tutoring or other creative solutions.
- Referral: The VOD program receives the referral. A case can be referred at any time — before (and instead of) court, at the same time as court or after the court process is complete.
- Intake: VOD program staff contacts the offending juvenile and the victim to explain the program and to determine whether they are interested in participating in Victim Offender Dialogue. If both parties want to proceed, the case is assigned to trained facilitators.
- Individual Pre-Dialogue Sessions:
- With the offender: The assigned facilitators explain the process and assess whether the offending juvenile is taking adequate responsibility for his/her actions.
- With the victim: The assigned facilitators explain the dialogue process and talk with the victim about his/her expectations for the face-to-face meeting.
- Victim Offender Dialogue: A face-to-face meeting is held with the victim, the offender, trained facilitators and the parties' support people. The meeting is held in a safe and secure location and the parties agree on ground rules for how the process will go. The victim and offender talk about what happened, who was affected and what can be done to repair the harm that was created by the violation.
- Post-Dialogue Monitoring: If the parties reached a formal agreement about how the offender could repair harms, that agreement is monitored by VOD program staff, Allegheny County Juvenile Court and/or Allegheny County Juvenile Probation to ensure fulfillment of all agreement terms.