TY - JOUR
T1 - Is Computer-based Communication A Valuable Addition to Victim-offender Mediation? A Qualitative Exploration among Victims, Offenders and Mediators
AU - Bonensteffen, Florian
AU - Zebel, Sven
AU - Giebels, Ellen
N1 - Funding Information:
This work was funded by the Tech4People program of faculty of Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences, University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands. We sincerely thank the Dutch VOM agency Perspectief Herstelbemiddeling for facilitating and aiding in acquiring interviewees for this study. In addition, we are grateful to Lisanne van den Berg en Anne-Lynn Hollink for their help in setting up and executing this study. We also thank Dr. Steven Watson (University of Twente, Enschede) for the final editing of this article.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 The Author(s). Published with license by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
PY - 2022/11/17
Y1 - 2022/11/17
N2 - Computer-based communication (CBC) has become an inevitable aspect of our communication infrastructure and a lasting alternative to face-to-face conversations. Yet, CBC (e.g. video conferencing) is not common practice for victim-offender mediation (VOM). Based on eighteen semi-structured interviews with adult victims, offenders and mediators, we provide a heuristic assessment of CBC applicability in VOM. Interviewees associated CBC with higher environmental safety compared to face-to-face mediation, and with richer emotional information compared to indirect VOM (e.g., letter exchange). Risks comprised technical and privacy concerns. Our findings provide insight into stakeholder perceptions of the usability of CBC-VOM and thus directions for effective employment.
AB - Computer-based communication (CBC) has become an inevitable aspect of our communication infrastructure and a lasting alternative to face-to-face conversations. Yet, CBC (e.g. video conferencing) is not common practice for victim-offender mediation (VOM). Based on eighteen semi-structured interviews with adult victims, offenders and mediators, we provide a heuristic assessment of CBC applicability in VOM. Interviewees associated CBC with higher environmental safety compared to face-to-face mediation, and with richer emotional information compared to indirect VOM (e.g., letter exchange). Risks comprised technical and privacy concerns. Our findings provide insight into stakeholder perceptions of the usability of CBC-VOM and thus directions for effective employment.
KW - digital communication
KW - ICT based communication
KW - Restorative justice
KW - victim-offender mediation
KW - UT-Hybrid-D
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85124183371&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/15564886.2021.2020946
DO - 10.1080/15564886.2021.2020946
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85124183371
SN - 1556-4886
VL - 17
SP - 1173
EP - 1195
JO - Victims and Offenders
JF - Victims and Offenders
IS - 8
ER -