The 26th Judicial Circuit Juvenile Court, in partnership with the Center for Dispute Resolution at Missouri State University, is pleased to announce the implementation of a promising new program, Victim-Offender Mediation.

Victim-Offender Mediation provides a unique approach to addressing juvenile crime in Camden, Laclede, Miller, Morgan and Moniteau Counties. Currently, most young offenders never come face-to-face with the individuals they victimize. Instead, they often pay court-ordered restitution and serve a term of supervision with imposed rules of conduct. In contrast, Victim-Offender Mediation will hold these youth directly accountable for their actions, asking them to face their victims and take responsibility for repairing the harm they caused.

“When juvenile offenders come to these dialogues and sit down with the individuals they harmed, they often feel empathy for their victims for the first time. By speaking with the victim, they realize the impact of their actions,” explained Dr. Charlene Berquist, Director of the Center for Dispute Resolution at Missouri State University. According to Dr. Berquist, similar programs across the United States have been shown to dramatically reduce recidivism among such youth.

Another unique feature of the Juvenile Victim-Offender Mediation program is that, unlike the traditional justice system, victims will play an active role in the process. Rather than simply participating as a witness, the victim is actively involved in the creation of a Restitution Agreement. Victim-Offender Mediation gives victims the opportunity to have their voices heard and ask questions of the offender in a face-to-face setting. “Victims tend to be overwhelmingly satisfied with their experiences in such programs and report that afterward, they feel less fearful and more empowered,” according to Dr. Berquist.

Juvenile victim-offender dialogues allow the young offenders the opportunity to repair some of the harm they caused through their crimes. Rather than the court ordering a young person to pay restitution, offenders work with their victims and the trained facilitator to create a meaningful restitution agreement that may involve monetary restitution, volunteer work or other creative options.

Training for this program will be led by Dr. Mark Umbreit, the founding director of the Center for Restorative Justice and Peacemaking at the University of Minnesota, School of Social Work. Funding from the Missouri Division of Youth Services has allowed the Juvenile Court to provide this two-day training, scheduled for September 18 and 19 in Osage Beach, at no cost for volunteers. The volunteers will then work with the Center for Dispute Resolution and the Juvenile Court, where they will facilitate meetings between non-violent juvenile offenders and their victims. 

The Juvenile Court is actively seeking volunteers for this program! For more information, please contact Tammy Walden, 26th Circuit Chief Juvenile Officer, at 573.317.0099, or contact  the Center for Dispute Resolution at 417.836.8831 or  CDR@missouristate.edu.