Restorative Justice & Victim-0ffender Mediation (VOM)

Restorative Justice and Victim-offender Mediation (VOM), which is a form of Restorative Justice, usually includes some form of face-to-face meetings between the victim of a crime and the person who perpetrated it. 

Interestingly, more and more schools are moving away from a punitive system of addressing student disciplinary issues to a Restorative Justice model, including the Chicago Public Schools.  On June 27, 2007 Chicago Public Schools made the following changes to the student code of conduct:

During the 2006-2007 school year, the Office of the Chief Executive Officer worked with various stakeholders to develop revisions to the Student Code of Conduct and accompanying school supports for 2007-2008 that reflect a comprehensive approach to student discipline and include components of restorative justice alternatives to out of school suspension, and additional measures aimed to ensure a safe and positive environment for students and school personnel (Section 705.5.  Board report 07-0627-PO5).

While schools and juvenile court programs are seeing the benefits of Restorative Justice models of disputes resolution, research indicates that it can also be a useful process for adults.  Noah Mediation Services can assist your school, court, or community organization in developing and implementing Restorative Justice programs.

Read a comprehensive article on Restorative and Community Justice published by the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs.