With a little help from a friend: desistance through victim-offender mediation in Belgium

This article presents the results of a study in which interviews were conducted with 25 adult men who had taken part in victim-offender mediation in the French-speaking part of Belgium and were desisting from crime. Their narratives were used to investigate: (a) whether participation in restorative justice positively influenced their journey towards desistance; (b) if so, which of the elements in victim-offender mediation supported this change process; and (c) how these elements had been helpful. The results suggest that victim-offender mediation has the potential to contribute to desistance in a modest, but significant, way. In most cases core aspects of mediation supported pre-existing desistance processes, mainly by strengthening the cognitive aspects of the process. We propose further to investigate the specific and helpful 'presence' of the mediator and to reflect upon the apparent absence in the mediation practice involved in the study of different types of practical support towards desistance. Finally we put forward the idea that, from a desistance point of view, a strategic motivation from the side of the offender in view of a favourable judicial decision should not be a counter-indication for starting up a mediation process.