Perspectief op herstel in een forensische context: Een praktijkonderzoek naar slachtoffer-dadercontact

Abstract

This article aims to shed more light on the influence of a forensic psychiatric context on restorative mediation, and relatedly, victim-offender contact. In order to achieve this, empirical data on victim-offender contact in a forensic setting as conducted by Perspectief Herstelbemiddeling, an independent Dutch mediation agency, is used. First the frequency and type of restorative mediation in this context are discussed. Following, on the basis of a qualitative analysis of logs of mediations and interviews with staff members of Perspectief Herstelbemiddeling, we report on the practice of victim-offender contact in a forensic psychiatric setting, focusing on psychopathology and the treatment context, the outcome of mediation in this context and the evaluation by participants. Although this context concerns only a small share of the total number of mediations, our study shows that restorative mediation can be a good option in a forensic setting. What is more, about half the cases concern known victims highlighting the importance of restorative mediation even more.