CONFERENCE WITH VICTIM & OFFENDER

At the conference with victims and offenders, use the following agenda as a guideline:

Introduce everyone present at the conference - name and who they are.

Explain role of facilitators (not officers of the court, but from a community based

Non-profit)

n To provide support to all parties.

n To keep the environment safe.

n To allow everyone to speak.

Confidentiality (explain):

n In conferences-no details recorded/shared without permission of all parties.

n Social worker/court advised about extent of participation.

Exceptions

n We must report law violations.

n If someone is in danger of being harmed.

Read Consent to Participate form and ask all parties to sign and date. Keep in case file.

Suggest Ground Rules (especially the three standard ones):

n Don’t interrupt when someone is speaking.

n Nothing intentionally hurtful is allowed.

n Everyone has a right to not answer questions.

n Other (i.e. who can be in the room)?

Explain what will happen during the conference, and then do it!

n Victims go first (if more than one, they decide in what order) talk about what happened, share feelings about it, ask questions of offender

n Offenders go next (if more than one, they decide in what order) talk about what happened, share feelings about it, answer/ask questions

n Discuss the current disposition of the case

Restitution $__________ Community Service Hours_____________

Other_______________________________________________________

If the victim and offender reach an agreement of any kind, write it on a piece of paper and ask each of them to sign and date it. Return it the program coordinator in the case file. Make no promises about being able to implement any agreements. Tell all parties that you will forward the signed agreement to the program coordinator to see what can be done.

Summary

n Briefly summarize what happened in the meeting.

n Commend the parties on their willingness to participate in a difficult process.

n Thank everyone for attending and honoring the ground rules.

Adjourn - be sure all parties are gone before you leave the building.