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Crime Victims And Offenders Face To Face: An Overview Of The Tdcj Victim Offender Mediation/Dialogue, Richard B. Keeton

Richard B. Keeton, Esq.

This paper focuses on the Victim Offender Mediation/Dialogue program unique to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Victim offender mediation is "a process that provides interested victims an opportunity to meet their offender, in a safe and structured setting, and engage in a mediated discussion of the crime." The goal is to hold offenders directly accountable for their actions while providing support and assistance to the victims. With the assistance of a trained mediator, the victim is able to tell the offender about the crime's physical, emotional, and financial impact, while receiving answers to lingering questions about the crime and …