Restorative Justice in California Prisons: Can You Participate in a Victim-Offender Dialogue?

A Victim-Offender Dialogue (VOD) is a facilitated meeting between the person who was harmed (or surviving family members) and the person who caused the harm. In California, Mend Collaborative is one organization that does this work at state correctional facilities. The goal isn't to force forgiveness or a specific outcome. It's to create a supported space for questions, accountability, and communication that wouldn't be safe or possible without careful preparation and facilitation.

In California correctional settings, VODs are typically facilitated through restorative justice organizations that coordinate with the prison system. Mend Collaborative facilitates Victim-Offender Dialogues at California correctional facilities. Restorative Justice of Orange County (through its RJMP program) also offers a program that brings victims or surviving family members together with incarcerated or paroled individuals, in partnership with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR).

If you're a survivor or family member, the support and preparation you receive matters as much as the dialogue itself. Mend Collaborative prepares and supports survivors who share their experiences through in-prison restorative justice programs. They also facilitate survivor support groups and provide ongoing support in collaboration with other VOD providers, so you're not left to figure it out alone. That preparation can help you decide whether participation is right for you, and if so, what you want from the process. It can also help you plan for the emotional impact of telling your story, hearing someone else's account, or choosing not to move forward after learning more.

• ✓ Preparation and support for survivors who may participate in in-prison restorative justice programs
• ✓ Facilitation of survivor support groups
• ✓ Ongoing survivor support offered in collaboration with other VOD program providers

1. Start with the facilitator organizations. Reach out to Mend Collaborative to ask about Victim-Offender Dialogues at California correctional facilities and what the current entry process looks like.
2. Ask about the CDCR-partnered option. If RJMP is relevant to your situation, ask about their meetings between victims or surviving family members and offenders who are incarcerated or paroled, and how their partnership with CDCR affects participation.
3. Request survivor preparation and support details upfront. Ask what preparation is available, what support groups exist, and what ongoing support looks like, since Mend Collaborative specifically describes survivor preparation and support groups as part of their work.
4. Decide your pace and your boundaries. Use the information you receive to decide whether you want to explore a dialogue now, later, or not at all, and what you would need to feel supported if you continue.

If you move forward, expect the process to include support before and after any meeting, not just the dialogue itself. Mend Collaborative prepares and supports survivors for in-prison restorative justice programs, facilitates survivor support groups, and provides ongoing support in collaboration with other VOD providers. That can be especially helpful if you're carrying questions, anger, grief, or uncertainty and need a place to sort through what you want to say (or whether you want to participate at all). Even when a program offers a meeting, participation is a personal choice. Some people want answers to specific questions. Some want to be heard. And some decide that preparation alone is enough and don't want direct contact. A good facilitator will help you clarify your goals and plan for what you'll do with whatever you hear.