Archive for the ‘Victim Offender Dialogue’ Category
Victim Offender Dialogue
Sunday, January 18th, 2009
The idea of Victim Offender Dialogue (VOD) can be challenging and sometimes even intimidating to those who have not seen it work. For certain victims/survivors and certain victim advocates, the idea smacks of “dignifying” the offender by engaging in a dialogue with him. On the other hand, for certain offender-oriented advocates, the idea seems to suggest either (a) further punishing the offender, or (b) taking the opportunity to forgive or “reconcile with” the offender. The truth is, neither of these is the objective of Victim-Centered VOD. Instead, the objective is twofold: to enable the victim/survivor – who initiates the process – to feel fully heard by the offender, and to enable the offender to understand and embody a deeper level of personal accountability to the survivor. VOD, which is not for every survivor or offender, requires careful preparation with each, and it requires that each continue to be free to withdraw from the preparation or dialogue process at any time.
If you have thoughts or feelings about the subject of Victim-Centered VOD, we invite you to submit them for potential posting here.
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