This major and original research project shows how restorative justice dialogue works, and highlights the role of forgiveness within it. Based on interviews of victims who went through Victim Offender Dialogue, it looks at how energy shifts in dialogue between offender and victim can lessen the toxicity associated with the crime.
Armour and Umbreit make a giant leap in the restorative justice discussion. Fascinating reading, and this is a truly new way of speaking about and thinking about the Victim Offender Meditation/Dialogue. This is well worth the read!
An important new theoretical model based on the best of qualitative research-a deep dive into 20 restorative justice dialogues to explain how these encounters created profound psychological transformation for victims of terrible violence.
Marilyn Armour is a University Distinguished Teaching Professor and founding Director of the Institute for Restorative Justice and Restorative Dialogue, in the School of Social Work at the University of Texas at Austin.
Dr. Mark Umbreit is a Professor and the founding Director of the Center for Restorative Justice & Peacemaking at the University of Minnesota School of Social Work.