A Victim's Participation in Radical Hospitality

If we are not careful, practicing restorative justice might suffer from the same offender-driven, offender-focused problems found in the criminal justice system that discards victims after usurping the harm done to them as purely a violation of state law. The radical expression of hospitality demonstrated through restorative justice practices must be victim-focused, and it must empower victims and promote healing through dialogue.

What could be more empowering and healing to victims than choosing the radical expression of hospitality through restorative dialogue and :

•  Personally holding offenders accountable for their crimes
•  Expressing to the offender the anger, fear, and harms he or she has suffered because of the injustice he or she experienced at the hand of the offender
•  Personally condemning the offender's actions
•  Receiving a personal, verbal apology and commitment to change from the offender
•  Participating in designing appropriate reparations (restitution) the offender must make
•  Participating in restoring relationships, though victims may or may not offer forgiveness to the offender who harmed them

When offenders want to start a dialogue of healing with the victim, they must reach out to mediation agencies (which are difficult to find) to begin the process of restorative dialogue, but this dialogue normally starts at the prompting of a crime victim. The goal of a dialogue is that it is victim-centered with the victim in control, and it proceeds or stops at the victim's pace. This reduces fear and insecurity, encourages satisfaction, and minimizes the chances of a crime victim feeling re-victimized. As such, victim-offender dialogues are often preceded by a year or more of preparatory work by both the offender and victim to maximize the chances of healing and decrease the likelihood of dissatisfaction. Radical hospitality, as expressed through restorative justice, humanizes victims to their offenders, and it often leads to empathy and remorse in offenders.

In addition, this courageous step often leads to a true transformation in the life of the offender who harmed the victim and reduces the chance of others being harmed by that offender in the future. When offenders can put a face to the harm they have done, it helps to ensure that they never repeat these harmful behaviors. It also tends to help both the victim and offender to find purpose in the tragic circumstances that led to the need for restoration in the first place.

Next week: The offender's participation in radical hospitality