Restitution Forgiven - Two youths, a boy and a girl, vandalized the victim's home. Paint and tar were plastered all over the place. They said it was impulsive, not thinking about right or wrong. However, they did agree to meet with the victim to "make things right." The LAVORP Facilitator arranged a conference in a neutral location. The youths apologized and learned from the victim just how much his life was altered through the experience. Building trust for the future, the youths agreed to pay for the victim's out of pocket expenses at the rate of $750 each. Monthly payments were arranged and the terms put into an Agreement which all signed. The youths were making payments as agreed upon. When they were about 75% complete with their payments the victim praised the youths for their change in attitudes and adherence to the terms and forgave the balance of the restitution. This scenario could only have happened through the sponsorship of a Restorative Justice program like LAVORP.

College Tuition Paid - It never was clear just how it happened, but two youths accidentally started a fire in a grocery store. Damage was estimated at over $2,000. However, using LAVORP's Restorative Justice program, the victim agreed to being reimbursed in the amount of $1,500, $750 each. The usual victim-offender conference was held and the terms committed to writing. This particular meeting ended on a rather unusual note. The victim said, "If after you have pay your restitution, you enroll in college and send me proof of enrollment, I will refund you the $750". One of the youths is now in college studying Criminal Justice and his $750 was refunded.

Money Not The Issue Here - This case attests to the fact that money is not the primary concern of victim-offender mediation. Often, it is the emotional and psychological effects of a crime. A fifteen year old victim was invited to a face to face meeting with an offender who already agreed to a conference. At first, the victim said that there was no need to meet as there was no physical harm or financial loss; he was OK with the aftermath of having been wrestled to the ground by a group of youths and his skate board taken. When he was told of the remorse the offender had and that it was the offender who returned the skate board and wanted to apologize for the incident the victim agree to a meeting. At the conference, with the boys and their mothers present, it came to light that the boys thought they recognized one other in school but were not sure and avoided each other. The offender apologized, which was accepted by the victim and that was all that was needed to repair the harm. Just as powerful were the mothers who came to know one another and acknowledged how wonderful the meeting was and that their sons had an opportunity to meet under different circumstances and possibly even become friends.

Victim Acknowledges Trouble With The Law - This case also was one where there was no financial loss.. And, the offender was the same one as in the "Money Not the Issue Here" case. Seems the victim saw the offender and his friends ransacking cars prior to the skateboard incident. The victim yelled at the youths and the offender in this case yelled an expletive at the victim and moved on with the rest of the gang. While the victim was not identified as such by the police, when meeting with the offender about the skate board incident the LAVORP Volunteer Facilitator learned that the offender wished for the Facilitator to learn the name of the victim and arrange a meeting so he could offer his apologies. Done. It was a cordial meeting and the victim forgave the offender and offered some friendly advice. He exhorted the young man to look at changing his ways and become a good citizen. Then, surprisingly, the victim shared that he was often in trouble with the law when he was a teenager. It took him a while to "learn his lesson" but eventually straightened himself out. He encouraged the youth to recover more quickly than he did. However, what was not surprising as many Volunteer Facilitators come to learn, is the interest that victims take in those who offend them which often overshadows their own victimization.

Victims' Empathy For Offenders - Did you ever wonder how a fifteen year old who became addicted to crack-cocaine supported his drug habit? He stole from his friends and became so desperate he burglarized his grandmother's house. He realized what drugs were doing to him. He turned himself in and pleaded guilty to his crimes. The case was referred to LAVORP and a conference was held with the offender and ten of his victims. After signing agreements to pay each victim restitution for his crimes, his victims began to speak. One neighbor, a retired minister, who had previously befriended the youth, asked if he could visit him during his drug rehabilitation. The young man agreed to meet with him. Another victim, with tears running down her face, said she would be praying every night for this boy's recovery. A mother of two teenage friends of the offender said that she and her boys had often gone fishing with him. She said, "When you come home, I'd like to take you fishing with us again." Another victim, a teen-age friend, said that he saved a long time and finally purchased more than $1,000 worth of video games which were stolen by the offender. He said, "I don't care about getting paid for my losses, I just want my friend back. My friend, who used to make us laugh all the time, I want that person back again in my life."