The first report, Directory, lists all identified victim-offender mediation programs in the country & provides their addresses, phone numbers, & contact & other basic information. The Directory will provide easy access for persons who would like to contact a given program. The second report, National Survey, contains information about the characteristics of the various victim-offender mediation programs operating nationwide & the major issues facing them in their day-to-day operations. It describes the actual functioning of the programs, while the Guidelines sets standards for the practice of victim-offender mediation.

These Guidelines assist administrators in developing or enhancing their restorative justice programs. It provides practical guidance for mediators to facilitate balanced & fair mediation, which will ensure the safety & integrity of all the participants. Chapters: victim-offender mediation: a national perspective; guidelines for victim-sensitive mediation & dialogue with offenders; recommendations for program development; results of a survey of victim-offender mediation programs in the U.S.; what is humanistic mediation?; profiles of programs; & promising practices. Bibliography.

Written by Mark Umbreit, internationally known for his work in restorative justice, this indispensable resource offers an empirically grounded, state-of-the-art analysis of the application and impact of victim offender mediation, a movement that has spread throughout North America and abroad. The Handbook of Victim Offender Mediation provides practical guidance and resources for offering victim meditation in property crimes, in minor assaults, and, more recently, with crimes of severe violence, including with family members of murder victims who request to meet the offender.

Demystifying an unrealistic ideal Maria Mayo questions the contemporary idealization of unconditional forgiveness in three areas of contemporary life: so-called Victim-Offender Mediation involving cases of criminal injury, the work of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in post-apartheid South Africa, and the pastoral care of victims of domestic violence. She shows that an emphasis on unilateral and unconditional forgiveness puts disproportionate pressure on the victims of injustice or violence and misconstrues the very biblical passages—especially in Jesus’ teaching and actions—on which advocates of unconditional forgiveness rely.