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Victim-offender mediation : offenders’ motivations for participation

Rosies, H. M. (2017) Victim-offender mediation : offenders’ motivations for participation.

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Abstract:There was not much known about the motivations for the willingness to participate in victim-offender mediation (VOM) among offenders. In the literature study was found that emotions play a role in the willingness to participate in VOM, so might future contact with the victim do. Thus, the emotions guilt, reintegrative shame and stigmatizing shame were examined as motivations, combined with the influence of future contact. Also, the preference for the (new) methods of mediation, such as a face-to-face meeting and e-mail exchange, was examined. The expectation was that participants who were instructed to feel guilty or to experience reintegrative shame would be more inclined to participate in VOM. Participants who were instructed to experience stigmatizing shame would be less inclined to participate. Finally, when participants had to keep in touch with the victim in the future, they would be more inclined to participate in VOM than when they did not have to keep in touch. The participants were randomly assigned to a condition (future perspective x guilt, reintegrative shame, stigmatizing shame and control group). The participants were instructed to read a scenario about a scam via ‘Marktplaats’ from the perspective of the offender. After reading the scenario, they had to answer questions about the emotions they experienced and about the possibility of participating in VOM. Results showed that, as expected, participants who were instructed to feel guilty and participants who were instructed to experience reintegrative shame, were indeed significantly more willing to participate in VOM than the control group. As expected, when the offender had to keep in touch with the victim, he or she was more willing to participate in VOM. Unexpectedly, there was no evidence found for stigmatizing shame. This research gives an insight into the influence of these motivations, for in practice this might be helpful when mediators try to convince an offender to participate in VOM, because of beneficial outcomes for both parties (victim and offender).
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/71847
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