Our Program is an Opportunity...

Victims' Voices Heard gives victims of violent crime the opportunity to meet face-to-face with the person who committed a violent crime against them.  Meeting with the person who committed the crime provides victims with the opportunity to:

• Tell the offender the full impact the crime has had on their lives
• Ask questions and receive answers about the crime from the offender
• Hear offenders take responsibility for the crime and express their remorse
• Receive personal insight and feel empowered
• Find out about the offender’s life inside the institution and what kind of person they are after the crime

The dialogue is in large part a transfer of power from offender to victim.

Our program is based around the restorative justice concept. Restorative justice aims to center the justice process more on the needs of the victim, creating a process that encourages healing and transformation. It puts key decisions into the hands of those most affected by the crime: the victim. It enables their voice to be heard by the person responsible for creating the harm.