Article
Author: Gregory D. Paul
According to restorative justice practitioners, participating in a victim–offender conference (VOC) can lead to a number of positive consequences for the parties. For victims in particular, participating in a VOC ostensibly provides a way to talk directly with the offender about the harm done, hold the person accountable, and achieve restoration. Lacking, however, is an understanding of what motivates victim participation. This study investigates how the desire to obtain offender‐related outcome goals, victim‐related outcome goals, process goals, and information goals influence individuals’ willingness to participate in a VOC. The study tested a hypothesized model of VOC participation to understand how goals influenced each other and willingness to participate in a VOC. Several factors, reflecting a helping motivation overall, shaped willingness to participate in a VOC. The manuscript concludes with a discussion of implications for restorative justice researchers and practitioners.
Keywords: communication, interpersonal conflict, third‐party intervention, justice
How to Cite: Paul, G. (2015) “Predicting Participation in a Victim–Offender Conference”, Negotiation and Conflict Management Research. 8(2). doi: https://doi.org/10.34891/gc5j-hd26