These preliminary questions are for Offenders considering VOD to reflect upon, as they weigh the pros and cons of the preparation process and (hopefully) begin to take responsibility for the choices they made to directly or indirectly cause harms to others.

• Have you thought at all about the victims or survivors in your crime(s), or anything you would want to be able to say to them?
•  Have you thought about what the victims/survivors in your crime might want to say to you?
• Knowing that nothing you do or say can ever make what you did “okay,” what would be the best thing your victim(s) or survivor(s) could say or express to you? 
• What would be the worst thing your victim(s) or survivor(s) could say or express to you? 
• In your own mind, what might be the best thing you could say or express to your victim(s) or survivor(s)?
• In your own mind, what might be the worst thing you could say or express to your victim(s) or survivor(s)?
• What are some of the circumstances that led you to choose to commit the crime(s) you did?
• What did you find exciting or enjoyable about committing your crime(s), at the time? For example, drinking, drugs, the adrenaline rush, the sense of “power” or “invincibility,” etc.
• Most victims/survivors have questions about exactly what happened, and about exactly why it happened as it did. This means talking about very difficult and disturbing details of the crime(s). If the survivor in your crime(s) wishes to talk with you about these kinds of details, will you be able to do that?
• In certain cases, offenders’ memories of the crime(s) can become fragmented, and in some cases, offenders are only comfortable discussing the less disturbing memories. Do you think you could work to recount the harder memories if this is what the survivor wishes? Do you think it could be helpful for you to be able to speak some of these details out loud?
• What have been the hardest parts for you about being incarcerated?
• What, if anything, has been “good” for you about being incarcerated? 
• Assuming you have a future release date, what do you think will be the hardest parts for you about being released?
• After you came to prison and became more adjusted to doing your time, and assuming you could have trusted someone enough, are there things you would have liked to be able to talk about regarding your crime(s)? If so, what kinds of things?