Professionals that work with organisations that focus on victims and offenders are indispensable in making sure that people who were involved in a crime or traumatic event are informed about restorative mediation. Read below about the experiences of professionals that refer their clients to Perspectief Herstelbemiddeling.
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“Trauma therapy was no longer needed after a meeting with the perpetrator”When psychologist (POH-GGZ) Jacqueline Pulles heard about restorative mediation, she immediately thought: maybe this is something for Belinda. Belinda came to her with anxiety issues that, after a robbery 25 years ago, never went away. Jacqueline proposed restorative mediation.
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Anne-Marie Vos, investigator of sexual violence cases“The past years I’ve been working as a specialist of sexual violence at the Rotterdam police, and I’ve been searching for alternative ways to deal with cases of sexual violence. Sometimes the criminal justice system is not a good solution for cases that are reported to us, and people are better helped with an alternative approach.”
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“The most impressive conversation out of my whole probation services career”Caroline van der Veen has been working for the Dutch probation services for 23 years, and mainly deals with cases of forensic psychiatry. She was present during a mediation between her client and his victim, and that was very impressive.
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Evert, recovery consultant: “To me, it’s a door that’s ajar.”Evert Kampert has been a recovery consultant for almost three years. By now, he's registered dozens of convicts for restorative mediation. "It's about finding an entrance."
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Theunis, spiritual caregiver: “Talk about it with each other”Theunis Veenstra has been a preacher in the Veenhuizen prison complex for five years. He first heard about restorative mediation when he was a village preacher. “I realized that you can have a very nice role in that, as a spiritual caregiver.”
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Gladys (Victim Support): "It's not about me, it's about the victim"Gladys Nelstein works for Victim Support Netherlands: “Most times I ask them: ‘Would you want to know why they did this to you?’”
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Katja (Victim Support): “I wish for many more victims and offenders to have this conversation”Katja Nijland worked as a case manager at Victim Support Netherlands for years. “During the mediation meetings, every time, I saw two people who were trying to recover.”
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Linda, youth care worker: “Hearing the victims’ stories, that touched me.”As a youth care worker at William Schrikker, Linda van de Beek guides young people who have been sentenced to youth probation. She now helps a boy who talked to the victims of the robbery he committed a year earlier.
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Eric, prison staff member: “If you don’t talk about it, you’re not going to solve it.”"It's very rewarding work." Eric Hansen is a reintegration staff member in the Dordrecht prison. "In the end, it's about human-to-huamn contact."