Victim/Offender
Intervention Service (VOIS) is a voluntary program that provides an
opportunity for individuals directly affected by crime to actively
participate in dealing with the consequences of that crime. The goal
of the program is for the parties most affected to have an opportunity to
address:
What happened,
How it felt when it happened,
Why it happened, and
What is needed for restitution and/or reparation
Potential Benefits for Victims:
An opportunity
to actively participate in the process of resolving the incident.
An opportunity to express frustration, loss or trauma as a result of the
crime.
An increased chance of receiving restitution or reparation. An
opportunity to be more fully informed:
-about the incident (motive, method, background of the offender)
-about the offender (what kind of person is this?)
-about
the Criminal Justice System and its processes.
An opportunity
to experience a sense of closure.
Potential Benefits for Offenders:
An opportunity
to be aware of the harm suffered by victims and
the community.
An opportunity
to “make it right” with the
victim, to
acknowledge responsibility and to do whatever is
reasonable and
possible to make amends.
To be more
fully informed:
-about
the Criminal Justice System and its processes
-about the
impact of criminal actions on the victim and the community.
An opportunity to fully participate in finding a fair and reasonable way to
resolve the incident.
