Evaluating the Effects of a Victim-Offender Reconciliation Program on Reoffense

Abstract

This article describes an investigation of the relationship between participation in a Victim-Offender Reconciliation Program (VORP) and reoffense within a year of participation. Three research questions were investigated: (a) What are the characteristics of these antisocial children and adolescents ? (b) What relationships exist between these characteristics ? (c) Do the children and adolescents who participate in the VORP program have lower reoffense rates than those who go through the more traditional juvenile justice approach? Many of the results are consistent with previous research on antisocial children and adolescents. Results also suggest that VORP participants do have lower reoffense rates and that the differences in reoffense rates between the two approaches may depend on family size.

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