University of Twente Student Theses
Victims' perceptions of violent offenders with mental disorders in restorative justice : when the free will is compromised
Mochi, Clori (2025) Victims' perceptions of violent offenders with mental disorders in restorative justice : when the free will is compromised.
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| Abstract: | This research was conducted to examine victims’ perceptions of offenders with mental disorders within the context of restorative justice. Specifically, it explored how the mental health status of offenders influenced victims’ attitudes in key areas such as perceived criminal responsibility, forgiveness, perceived dangerousness and willingness to engage in Victim-offender mediation (VOM). Mindset theory was introduced as a potential moderating factor that may have impacted these perceptions, as individuals with different mindset orientations might have exhibited different perceptions of offenders with mental disorders. Different perceptions about the offender were expected based on the presence or absence of a mental disorder. It was expected that when the offender had a mental disorder that has been treated, the victim would perceive the offender as less responsible, more forgivable, less dangerous, and more willing to meet the offender in person. Growth mindset was expected to moderate this relationship, predicting the offender to be viewed more favorably and thus strengthening this relationship between having a mental disorder (versus not) and more favorable attitudes towards the offender among victims. An experimental design with two conditions was employed. Condition one presented an offender with a mental disorder that received treatment. Condition two showed an offender without mental disorder. Results showed that the presence of mental disorder, after receiving treatment, had an impact on victims’ perception of criminal responsibility and that growth mindset predicted the intention of participants to forgive the offender. No significant results were found regarding perceived dangerousness and openness to VOM. However, most participants were still willing to meet the offender in person beyond the offender’s mental health condition, suggesting that victims may have personal motivations and needs that drive their decision to participate in VOM, rather than being influenced by the offender’s mental state. An exploratory analysis revealed that individuals with a stronger fixed mindset tend to attribute greater criminal responsibility to offenders with a mental disorder, are less willing to forgive them and are less open to engage in VOM. This may be because they perceive the offender’s behavior as more fixed, less changeable or excusable, although the received treatment. |
| Item Type: | Essay (Master) |
| Faculty: | BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences |
| Subject: | 77 psychology |
| Programme: | Psychology MSc (66604) |
| Link to this item: | https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/105376 |
| Export this item as: | BibTeX EndNote HTML Citation Reference Manager |
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