Abstract
This study compares the experience of paired groups of crime survivors and the individuals who perpetrated the crime who have gone through a traditional criminal prosecution, and then a post-conviction restorative justice program, commonly called a Victim Offender Dialogue (VOD). Qualitative interviews were conducted based on a convenience sample of program participants who had their VOD facilitated by two community-based organizations who are contracted to facilitate VODs within the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitations. The interviews provide details of the traditional criminal prosecution and restorative justice program from the perspectives of both victims and offenders while also outlining crime victim’s concept of justice and emotional needs following the traumatic event of the crime. This research also explores ways in which the criminal prosecution, and prison culture helped or hindered an offender’s sense of accountability and their ability to openly express remorse for their actions. Understanding why crime survivors seek out restorative justice options, often decades after the crime has occurred, may provide insight into the lingering impact of trauma, and how restorative justice programs such as VODs address that trauma in a way that the traditional criminal justice system does not. In outlining the perspective of people who have gone through the traditional system and then a VOD, a goal of this research is to determine elements of the restorative justice process that could be implemented within the traditional criminal justice system that address the complex and varied needs of crime survivors and allow for the perpetrators of crime to accept responsibility for their actions.