After a crime

Were you involved in a crime or do you know someone who was involved in a crime? Here you can read about how restorative mediation can help with recovery. After a crime, we’re there for victims, relatives of deceased people, suspects, and offenders. Anybody can contact us: we’re happy to explain more about the way we do mediation. It can concern many different types of crime: minor or major crimes, that happened a short time or a long time ago.

Is this right for me?

Victims often report that, after the contact, they’re better able to digest and move on from the crime itself and its consequences. They can get an answer to questions like:

‘Why me?'
‘What does the offender look like?’
‘Does the offender understand what the consequences were for me?’

An offender can answer questions and talk about what happened and how it happened.

‘I want to know what the consequences were for my victim.’
‘Now, I can show a different side of myself.’
‘I don't want the victim to be afraid of me anymore.’

How does restorative mediation work?

After you apply, the mediator will have a conversation with you about your wants and wishes regarding the mediation process. Only after that and with your permission, the mediator will contact the other person. Participation is always voluntary and confidential. It is completely free of cost, you don’t have to pay anything. Read more about how it works.

Read the experience stories of people who applied for restorative mediation after a crime.

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Human to human. How restorative mediation can help.

Jordi was convicted for multiple robberies. Gwen was robbed at knifepoint inside her home. In this video, they talk about their experiences with restorative mediation.
Watch the video.

Experiences of participants

“Contact with other people who were involved helped me to process things”
Janet’s life changed completely on October 21, 2022 when she woke up aand saw a message in the NOS app about an accident between a ferry and a water taxi near Terschelling. Her husband was missing. "It felt like waking up in a nightmare." Contact with others who were involved helped Janet to process what had happened.
The victim's mother (Jolanda) and the perpetrator’s father (Dave) discuss restorative mediation
In this interview at Perspectief Herstelbemiddeling, Jolanda speaks with the perpetrator’s father, Dave. They both talk about how the aftermath of this terrible event has affected them, and about how Jolanda came into contact with both the boy and his parents through Perspectief Herstelbemiddeling.
Jolanda talked with the boy who killed her son: ‘I wanted answers’
In 2021, Jolanda’s son Perry (21) was killed when his then 17-year-old friend Damian stabbed him in a parking lot. “For a long time, I had no idea what had gotten into him. Only once I got in contact with him, I got answers and peace,” Jolanda says, who talked with Damian and later also his parents.

Contact with the other person can help

Find out more about the possibilities and apply for restorative mediation.