The Victim's Justice Center Inc. (VJC Inc.), in cooperation with the Psychology Department of Plainfield Juvenile Correctional Facility (PJCF), has successfully mediated clarification sessions between survivors of sex crimes and sex offenders. The concept of this program is based on the principals of Restorative Justice.  Survivors, sex offenders, mediator and the psychology department report an excellent outcome.

The VJC Inc. and the staff of PJCF chose ten adolescent offenders who were most likely to be empathetic and remorseful.  The offenders were close to completing the Adolescent Sex Offender Program (ASOP) designed by Dr. Hugh Hanlin, the Lead Psychologist at PJCF.

The offenders then received an additional 16 hours of Victim Impact designed and presented by Debra Dixon of VJC Inc.  The Victim Impact builds on and is in addition to ASOP. The Victim Impact portion of the program was presented and received by the offenders as a privilege. The victim impact presentation covered in-depth issues of importance to females and, in particular,victims.  The victim impact presentation combined logic, statistics and emotion in an effort to heighten the offenders sensitivity to not only women but any other type of being the offenders presented.  The purpose of this was to intercept justification of entitlement. For more information on offender preparation for the Panel contact the VJC Inc.

The survivors were screened first by VJC Inc., then Dr. Hugh Hanlin and clinician Angie Hillon who monitored the program.  Survivors were chosen that were interested in personal resolution, that desired clarification, and were no longer in crisis over the victimization. Survivors were assured that they could change their mind at anytime and that halting the panel was no inconvenience. Survivor welfare is considered primary.

The actual session lasted approximately one and one half hours.  The survivors told their stories and then questioned the offenders.  The offenders were not allowed to ask any questions.  The survivors had ten sex offenders, one psychologist and one mediator in tears.  One survivors later said, " My life is forever changed. I'm so glad I did it."  The other survivor reported that she was neither helped or harmed and hoped she had an impact on the boys.

The offenders were obviously moved for days and even months later are exhibiting heightened victim empathy.  In a written assignment on their reaction to the panel the offenders report the following:

"...I felt mad because of what I heard and it made me think about what I put my victim through.It will help people learn about how victims feel and what they go through. It helps the perpetrator realize how much pain they put their victims through."

"The reason why this group helped and meant so much is because we could see how real their pain is.  It's one thing to read about victims.  When you do that it's not the same.  You can't see that persons pain.  It makes us realize what we did to someone else."

"I felt like crying for them, for my victim and for all the other victims.  They did nothing to be treated the way they were treated. No one needs to be treated in this manner. It makes me remember that we all have rights but I wanted more and violated her (my victims) rights."

"...I finally figured out why I was so confused, angry, upset and scared.  We are perpetrators. People who have hurt other people. They are innocent people who never did anything wrong. People who never did what I did. It made me feel angry at myself. Knowing I hurt my victim like the people hurt these ladies. I always hear all these stories about how people have hurt other people but not once have I heard how the victim feels."

"There are people coming in not knowing how they really hurt their victims. I think that they need to go through this as part of their program."


For more information on Victim Impact Panels for offender clarification contact the VJC Inc. at (765)292-2590 or email JusticeDenied@howdyneighbor.com