Following a harm, a victim may feel vulnerable and powerless. Concord Mediation Center’s Victim-Youth Conferencing (VYC) provides those harmed the opportunity to meet with youth who caused the harm. The goal is to hold the youth accountable for his or her behavior, while providing assistance and making amends to those harmed.
(The following is a fictional VYC case study.) The Jones’ are an elderly couple who have lived in the same house since they married more than 50 years ago. One day, the couple notices graffiti on the side of their detached garage. Curse words have been spray painted in large letters on the building. The couple contacts the police, and during the interview, Mr. Jones wonders aloud if he and his wife are the targets of a local gang. What’s next? Will the perpetrators take the next step and break into the couple’s home? The Jones feel they are at risk for more property damage, if not something worse.
Another neighbor contacts the police, noting that she saw a young man in the neighborhood the day before the graffiti vandalism was discovered. The police use this tip to arrest a teenager, who later admits to the harm.
A VYC can be requested by a number of referral resources who think the youth would benefit from the process, such as a county attorney, a defense attorney, a probation officer, a diversion officer, or community member. In this case, the referral came from a juvenile court judge.
Concord’s trained facilitators conduct preliminary individual meetings with the youth and the person(s) harmed to assess appropriateness, including the willingness of the parties to participate fully and benefit from the process.
The meeting begins with Mr. Jones describing the incident. Mrs. Jones shares how the incident impacted the couple’s lives, by living in fear, experiencing sleepless nights and wondering how, on their fixed incomes, they would be able to fix the damage to their property. They ask the young man why they were targeted for this crime and if he understood why they didn’t feel safe in their own home.
The young man is faced with the knowledge that his actions were more than a stupid prank. Together with the victims, he sees the real human costs of his actions. The victims and the offender then figure out how to make things right.
The facilitators lead the discussion between the Jones’, the youth and the young man’s parents to find the best way for him to repair the harm he caused. The young man will use the earnings from his after-school job to pay for the paint, and will arrange a date with the Jones’ to come to their house to paint over the graffiti. The teenager agrees to participate in a community-based youth group, to identify more positive peer groups. The VYC session concludes with all participants signing an agreement that specifies their expectations and commitment.
While this story is fictional, the steps are a realistic depiction of how and why this evidence-based process is an advantageous alternative to the court system.