Trainer: Jean Greenwood, M.Div., Researcher, writer, trainer and speaker in the field of victim offender mediation and restorative justice. Jean conducted a national survey of mediation programs in cooperation with the Center for Restorative Justice & Mediation, University of MN, where she was training coordinator for two years. She has seven years of experience in VOM as a mediator and program director, and has developed criteria for victim-sensitive VOM. An international consultant and trainer, she has trained mediators across the nation and consulted with programs in Sweden and the United Kingdom.

This training will focus on the curriculum developed by MADD, the California Youth Authority, and the U.S. Dept. of Justice Office for Victims of Crime. The program is designed to assist youth and adult offenders in accepting responsibility for their behaviors, understanding the impact of their crimes on their direct and indirect victims; learning how to bond with positive, healthy people and contributing to their communities in ways that will prevent future victimization. The curriculum focuses on victims of crimes involving persons and property, and utilizes audio/video tapes, role-plays, discussions and community victims sharing their personal stories.

Trainers: Gary Hook, M.S., Adolescent Sex Offender Program Specialist, New York State Office for Children and Family Services, Rensselaer, New York. Gary is a Co-Chair of the Capital District Coalition for Crime Victim Rights and is a member of the NYS Alliance of Sex Offender Service Providers. Barbara Schmidt, M.A.J., Coordinator of the KINnections program at Kansas Children’s Service League, Wichita, KS and a VOMA Board member. Barbara was the director of Victim Offender Mediation Services in Wichita, is an advisory committee member for the DUI Victim Center of Kansas, and is certified as a mediator and trainer by the Kansas Supreme Court’s Office of Judicial Administration.

Small Group Conferencing (SGC) is designed to serve cases where primary and secondary victims and offenders wish to participate. SGC may be helpful when it appears the primary victim and/or offender would benefit from involving parents, siblings, and/or others. SGC is not the same as multi-party VOM, but it is a close relative, therefore having had VOM training and experience is a must. SGC is an additional option for programs to utilize.

Due to the participatory nature of this group process training, trainees are asked to commit to being present for both days of this two-day training. If you unable to be present for both days, please select another of the Institute’s training options. Prerequisite: Training and experience in victim offender mediation.

Trainer: Carolyn McLeod, Community Justice Coordinator for the Washington County Court Services, Stillwater, MN and VOMA Board member. Carolyn has trained and presented at many of the previous VOMA conferences and has trained at local, state, national, and international levels.

Trainers: William T. Preston, JD, Restorative Justice Institute, is a member of the American Bar Association Criminal Justice Section’s Corrections and Sentencing Committee and the State Bars of Virginia and Florida, and has been certified as a mediator by the Florida Supreme Court. Greg D. Richardson, MA, JD, Restorative Justice Institute, is president of the National Community Sentencing Assn. and a member of the American Correctional Assn. Restorative Justice Committee, American Bar Assn. Criminal Justice Section’s Corrections and Sentencing Committee, and the State Bar of Wisconsin.

Practitioners come to VOM work with a range of mediation techniques, applications and philosophies. Some are more familiar with directive negotiation/settlement based models, others feel more comfortable with a more humanistic approach. The effective mediator is able to adapt tools from different models and apply them to the characteristics of different sessions. Workshop participants must have at least 1 year’s VOM mediator experience as they will explore and practice using tools and techniques to handle a variety of situations, including power imbalance, unrealistic expectations and impasse. The workshop will be fast-paced and interactive, with a significant amount of time devoted to role playing and role play processing.

Trainers: Kimberly Fink-Adams, Director of The Mediation Center’s juvenile VOM program in Asheville, NC. She is co-founder of the NC VOM Resource Group and the NC Restorative Justice Resource Group. Kim is a VOMA Board member, and is experienced in community, family/parenting and settlement conference mediation, as well as VOM. Jan Bellard, Mediation Network of NC. Jan directs two statewide VOM projects, one involves partnering mediation centers with community corrections programs for adult felony referrals; the other involves a partnership between mediation centers and juvenile courts. Jan is co-founder of the NC VOM Resource Group and the NC Restorative Justice Group and has been involved in developing mediations with death row inmates in NC.

This training focuses on dealing with denied aspects of ourselves as mediators, and how this can become a piece of precious common ground from which one can operate. Participants will identify difficult people "types", then learn to welcome them by identifying what they bring to the table. The process involves speaking from the heart, and learning to see "difficult" people as beneficial in mediation. Trainees will learn to search for the way things make sense to that person and work from his or her view of reality to find common ground.

Trainer: Barbara Ashley Phillips, American West Institute for Conflict Resolution, Halfway, OR. Barbara is a skilled teacher and storyteller. She is also a professional mediator, facilitator and trainer in conflict management skills. She is author of "Finding Common Ground: A Field Guide to Mediation".

Preparing parties effectively for mediation is crucial for positive resolution of the case. This interactive training provides participants with the opportunity to practice their "coaching" skills, to discuss some of the more controversial issues regarding case preparation, and to reflect on their preparation experiences. How to speak with parties prior to the session, screening, assessment, and appropriate questioning are included. Participants will be invited to share and learn from each other as well as from the trainers.

Trainers: Marvin Boakye, trainer for Mediation Services, Winnipeg, Canada. Marvin specializes in the areas of negotiation, mediation and understanding workplace conflicts. He has extensive experience in preparing parties for victim-offender mediation. Chris Freeman, caseworker in the Court Program (Victim-Offender) at Mediation Services in Winnipeg, Canada. Chris’ experience includes mediating victim offender, parent-teen, child protection and family conflicts.

This training provides the tools to facilitate offender accountability, victim empathy, and offender healing. Video tape excerpts, printed materials, and personal interaction will explore needs and issues in working with offenders and help participants establish physical and emotional safety in mediation. The workshop will also focus on understanding denial; facing feelings, especially guilt and shame; identifying thinking errors; and recognizing the interdependence of the healing process for victims and offenders.

Trainer: David Doerfler, Coordinator of VOM/Dialogue Program and the Victim Services Division Volunteer Program for the Texas Dept. of Criminal Justice, Austin, TX. David is chair of the TDCJ Post Trauma Staff Support Program, a VOMA Board member, and an associate trainer with Dr. Mark Umbreit, Center for Restorative Justice and Mediation, University of MN at the "Advanced Victim Sensitivity Mediation Training in Crimes of Severe Violence". He has over twenty-five years experience in the fields of counseling and volunteer-based victim offender mediation.

This training, "Feeling, Thinking and Doing for, with and by Victims", is an interactive guide for what crime victims need. Designed as a foundation for working with victims, it includes a victim impact panel and information about basic victimology/victimization which assists trainees in thinking about the needs of victims and learning cognitive tools for working effectively with them. There will be an interactive question and answer period focusing on how to integrate and apply the "heart and head" knowledge and a discussion of practical restorative justice measures and programs.

Trainers: Ellen Halbert, was a victim of a violent crime in 1986 when she was raped, stabbed, beaten with a hammer and left for dead. She was appointed as the first victim to serve on the TX Board of Criminal Justice and is a nationally recognized authority on victims’ needs. Raven Kazen, State Director of Victim Services for the TX Dept. of Criminal Justice. Raven is a dedicated victim advocate and an authority on victim rights and issues. David Doerfler, Coordinator of VOM/Dialogue Program for the TX Dept. of Criminal Justice, Austin, TX. He coordinates the Victim Services Division Volunteer Program, chairs the Post Trauma Staff Support Program, and is a VOMA Board member.

The tracks are described as:

V - Program Organization/Structural Issues

W - Understanding and Meeting the Needs of Parties

X - Personal Growth, Reflection, and Spirituality

Y - Mediating Crimes of Severe Violence ** Please see program note below.

Z – Working with Youth

** Mediating Crimes of Severe Violence program note: Once considered to be outside the bounds of VOM, there is now interest in applying Restorative Justice (RJ) principles to crimes of severe violence. Victims are finding that confronting their offenders in a safe and controlled setting, with the assistance of a mediator, can return some sense of safety and control in their lives. Such offenses are mediated after months of work with a specially trained mediator, in collaboration with the victim’s therapist and/or other professionals. Mediators must screen cases, and every aspect of the process must have victim safety as its foremost concern. Only offenders who admit guilt, express remorse and want to make amends should be considered candidates for mediation.

This conference track explores the application of RJ principles in crimes of severe violence, with a focus upon opportunities for networking and sharing of experiences among practitioners. Participants are encouraged to attend the entire track, as each workshop builds upon the previous session(s). Attendance at all workshops is essential for inexperienced mediators. Training for mediation in crimes of severe violence is beyond the scope of this track. Information about training opportunities will be offered.

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7:30 – 8:30 REGISTRATION

8:30 – 10:00 Opening Plenary: Victim-Offender Mediation Within the Tribal Communities

Family members from one of Southern Arizona’s Indian Reservations and members of the Tucson Restorative Justice Project in the U.S. Attorney’s office will demonstrate the process used in cases of severe violence as victims of violent crimes and their communities begin the healing process.

Presenters: Dori Arter, Victim Witness Program, U.S. Attorney’s Office, Susan R. Via, Assistant U.S. Attorney, and Bruce R. Hesse, Adria Santa Anna, Mark Geiger, U.S. Probation Officers.

10:00 – 10:15 BREAK

10:15 – 11:45 MORNING WORKSHOPS

Workshop 1: Mobilizing the Faith Community in Starting a VORP (1.5 hours) ( V )

This workshop will focus on how to mobilize and cultivate partnerships with the faith community for sustainable funding and other resources. It will look at how involving the faith community can impact a program.

Presenters: Duane Ruth-Heffelbower, M.Div., JD., attorney and ordained Mennonite minister, Associate Director of the Center for Peacemaking and Conflict Studies of Fresno Pacific University and a member of the graduate school faculty. Lorraine Stutzman Amstutz, Director, Mennonite Central Committee Office on Crime and Justice and VOMA Board Co-chair. Jean Greenwood, M. Div., researcher, writer, trainer and speaker in the field of VOM and restorative justice. She conducted a national survey of mediation programs in cooperation with the Center for Restorative Justice & Mediation, University of MN.

Workshop 2: Merchant Accountability Boards (1.5 hours)

This program presents the Deschutes County, Oregon Merchant Accountability Board’s program which is staffed by volunteer merchants. Designed to ensure that shoplifting offenders do not fall through the cracks, the Board holds the offenders directly accountable to victim merchants and the community.

Presenters: Deborah Galvin, Community Justice Coordinator, and Lee Petmecky, Community Restoration Team, Deschutes County, Bend, Oregon.

Workshop 3: Working Sensitively with Crime Victims (1.5 hours) ( W )

This workshop offers an interactive focus on what crime victims need. Participants will be asked to think about the needs of victims and will learn cognitive tools to work even more effectively with them, as well as how to apply this "heart and head" knowledge.

Presenters: Ellen Halbert, a victim of a violent crime, has served on the TX Board of Criminal Justice and has testified on victims’ needs across the nation. Raven Kazen, Director of Victim Services, Texas Dept. of Criminal Justice, and David Doerfler, Coordinator of VOM/Dialogue Program, TX Dept. of Criminal Justice.

Workshop 4: Using Juvenile Victim Offender Mediators in Juvenile Offense Cases (1.5 hours) ( Z )

The Richland County Court of Common Pleas offers juvenile VOM in misdemeanor and felony cases that come before the court. A team of one high school student and one adult conduct the meetings and family group conferences. Youthful mediators and the program director will share stories and answer questions.

Presenter: Martha Green, Mediation Coordinator, Richland County Court of Common Pleas, Mansfield, OH.

This workshop will focus on offenders’ thought processes or "thinking errors" that help them avoid responsibility for their behavior and rationalize why it is acceptable. These include minimizing their illegal behavior, blaming the victims or substance abuse problems, claiming that they did not understand the possible impact of their behavior, denying their own involvement in the offense, and/or believing that they won’t get caught. Presenter: Gary Hook, M.S., Adolescent Sex Offender Program Specialist, New York State Office for Children and Family Services, Rensselaer, New York.

Participants will be introduced to a humanistic model of mediated dialogue involving an intensive case preparation process, coupled with a non-directive style of mediation. The range of skills and knowledge needed for these cases will be explored.

Presenter: Mark S. Umbreit, Ph.D., Director, Center for Restorative Justice and Mediation, School of Social Work, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN

11:45 – 1:00 LUNCH

1:00 – 2:30 AFTERNOON WORKSHOPS – SESSION ONE

Workshop 7: Managing and Maintaining Volunteer Mediators (1.5 hours) ( V )

This workshop includes a discussion of practices used to manage and maintain volunteer mediators, including staff support, staff pre-case management, mediation coordination, and recognition.

Presenters: Betsy Coddington, Executive Director and Vicki L. Biggs, VOMP Director, Resolutions Northwest, Portland, OR.

Workshop 8: "THEFT TALK" (1.5 hours)

"THEFT TALK" specializes in counseling juvenile and adult offenders, and maintains the premise that offenders are more motivated to change when they make a human connection to their crime. This workshop will focus on offender thinking errors, how to redirect offenders’ thinking from themselves and to the victim.

Presenter: Steve Houseworth, Executive Director, "THEFT TALK" Counseling Service, Portland, OR. Steve has a Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology and is a juvenile court counselor for Clackamas County, OR.

Workshop 9: Forgiveness: Unloading the Loaded (3.0 hours) Part One ( W & X )

Forgiveness is the art of identifying what you are doing to hold past pain in your life, and taking the necessary steps to let it go. Learn a technique for clearing past pain and use it for a lifetime.

Presenter: Barbara Ashley Phillips, American West Institute for Conflict Resolution, Halfway, OR.

Co-facilitators: Duane Ruth-Heffelbower, Center for Peacemaking and Conflict Studies, Fresno Pacific University, Fresno, CA, Lorraine Stutzman Amstutz, Mennonite Central Committee Office on Crime and Justice, Quakertown, PA, Kathleen Bird, The Conciliation Ctr., Liberty, MO, Kathy Hall, IA Mediation Srvc, W. Des Moines, IA, Ann Warner Roberts, Center for Restorative Justice and Mediation, St. Paul, MN.

Workshop 11: "Project Payback" – An Approach to Restitution ( Z )

The Payback Restitution Program provides paid community service work for unemployed juvenile offenders. Participants will learn how to develop partnerships within the community and how to make this program attractive to employers.

Presenter: Steve Walker, Supervisor of the Accountability Programs Unit, Dept. of Juvenile and Adult Community Justice, Multnomah County, OR.

2:30 - 2:45 BREAK

2:45 - 4:15 AFTERNOON WORKSHOPS - SESSION TWO

As new mediation/dialogue programs are implemented in differing settings, the model broadens. This panel of practitioners/program directors will describe their approaches, their processes, and the results.

Presenters: David Doerfler, VOM/Dialogue Program, TX Dept. of Criminal Justice and VOMA Board member, Karin Ho, Administrator of the Office Of Victim Services for the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections, Columbus, OH, Carolyn McLeod, Community Justice Coordinator, Washington County Court Services, Stillwater, MN and VOMA Board member, Marty Price, J.D., Director, VORP Information and Resource Center, Camas, WA and VOMA Board member.

Workshop 13: Collaborating with Victim Services Programs (1.5 hours) ( V )

This workshop will explore the unique differences between victim assistance programs and mediation programs and provides participants with effective collaboration strategies to enhance working relationships.

Presenters: Lorraine Stutzman Amstutz, Director, Mennonite Central Committee Office on Crime and Justice and VOMA Board Co-chair. Mary Achilles, Office of the Victim Advocate, Harrisonburg, PA.

This workshop will explore creative adaptations of programs and practices that emerged in the National Survey of VOM programs. Possibilities that address pressing needs within the field will be explored.

Presenter: Jean Greenwood, M.Div. Jean is a researcher, writer and trainer in the field of restorative justice. She conducted a national survey of programs with the Ctr. for RJ & Mediation, University of MN.

This workshop describes how the youth programs of the New Mexico Center for Dispute Resolution are integrated with VOM to bring a more holistic view to the needs of families affected by crime.

Presenter: David River, Coordinator and Case Manager for the Victim Offender Program, School Suspension Mediation Program, Parent Teen Mediation Program, New Mexico Ctr. for Dispute Resolution.

Workshop 16: Cross Cultural Issues in Mediation (1.5 hours) (W)

This workshop will deal with cross cultural issues including the use of an interpreter, and how they impact VOM. The presenter will encourage open dialogue to enhance learning.

Presenter: Jonathan Chaplan, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Jonathan is a privately-practicing mediator and has been a criminal lawyer for 13 years. He speaks French, Spanish and Vietnamese.

7:00 - 9:00 KEYNOTE DINNER Dave Worth (see back cover of brochure)

8:30 - 10:00 MORNING WORKSHOPS - SESSION ONE

This workshop covers basic steps and issues in organizing a VOM Program, and will offer strategies for involving the community and gaining support. Program design, public relations, funding issues, options regarding types of cases for intervention, referral sources, and training opportunities will be discussed.

Presenter: Susan Wiese, Coordinator, Mediation Services of La Crosse, WI and VOMA Board member.

Examine innovative and controversial practices that have found success in victim offender mediation; including using volunteer mediators who have no knowledge of the crime prior to mediation, and mediating multiple party offenses with all parties involved in the same mediation session.

Presenters: Betsy Coddington, Executive Director and Vicki L. Biggs, VOMP Director, Resolutions Northwest, Portland OR.

In an emerging field where we are all beginners, we need to learn from each others’ experiences. Each practitioner will present one or more rich case stories and the lessons learned from the experience.

Presenters: David Doerfler, Karin Ho, Carolyn McLeod, and Marty Price (see Workshop # 12 for presenter information).

The issues of forgiveness can’t be ignored, set aside, deemed irrelevant, left totally to the participant’s initiative, or facilitated by the mediator. This workshop will review the theories and myths of forgiveness, the anatomy of apologies, techniques for helping the participants process their issues, and personal stories.

Presenter: Martha Green, Mediator Coordinator, Richland County Court of Common Pleas, Mansfield, OH.

An experimental program in providing community safety, victim support and offender accountability after sex offenders are released from prison in Toronto, Ontario.

Presenter: Dave Worth (see Keynote Speaker, back page of brochure)

10:00 - 10:15 BREAK

10:15 - 11:45 MORNING WORKSHOPS - SESSION TWO

Presenter: Jean Greenwood, M.Div., researcher, writer, trainer and speaker in the field of VOM and restorative justice. She conducted a national survey of mediation programs in cooperation with the Center for Restorative Justice and Mediation, University of MN.

There is an increasing concern surrounding youth crime, and The Youth Diversion Project (YDP)has identified that Aboriginal Youth are among the most at risk for involvement in youth gangs. This workshop will examine some of the problems that these youth face in the present legal system and will offer their perspectives surrounding the concepts of justice and punishment that traditionally brought balance and peace to their communities.

Presenters: Mike Alexander, YDP, Mediation Services, Winnipeg, MB, Canada. Mike has worked with youth for many years and assumes a creative approach to the court worker’s program. Tracy Lavadier, YDP, Mediation Services, Winnipeg, MB, Canada. Tracy is originally from Sagkeeng First Nation, MB, and has gained much experience and understanding of Manitoba’s Aboriginal community.

The Navajo Nation has established the Peacemaker Court, a dispute resolution program which parallels mediation but differs in some aspects. This workshop will offer a comparative view of the peacemaker process and distinguish the average off-reservation mediation from the peacemaker process. The participants will learn steps and phases particular to peacemaking, such as the telling of traditional narratives and the remembering of shared values.

Presenter: Thelma Butts Griggs, JD, Tucson, AZ, a peacemaker, mediator, and trainer who lived on the Navajo reservation for three years.

11:45 - 1:45 ANNUAL VOMA MEMBERSHIP MEETING

1:45 - 2:00 BREAK

2:00 - 3:30 AFTERNOON WORKSHOPS

Presenter: Lorraine Stutzman Amstutz, Director, Mennonite Central Committee, Office on Crime and Justice

and VOMA Board Co-Chair.

Perhaps one of the most important aspects of having a successful program is the efficient and effective management of information including case progress, the activity of the people who refer cases, evaluation data, mediator activity, etc. The New Mexico Center for Dispute Resolution has developed database systems that quickly and efficiently handle all aspects of running various programs. This workshop will provide an examination of these systems and participants will look at the costs and benefits of this type of investment.

Presenter: David River, Coordinator and Case Manager for the Victim Offender Program, School Suspension Mediation Program and Parent Teen Mediation Program, New Mexico Center for Dispute Resolution,

Santa Fe, NM.

A Youth Mediation Referral Network (YMRN) is designed to provide local police departments, school districts, and social service agencies with a system to efficiently refer youth conflicts to mediation. It prevents juvenile crime and reduces the need for extreme measures in schools and neighborhoods. This workshop will review the planning process and implementation of the YMRN.

Presenters: Beverly Moore, RJ Program Manager and VOMA Board member, Carene Davis-Stitt, Ph.D., Management Consultant/Mediator, CMS Board member, and Johnny Schwerk, Graduate Student Intern/Volunteer Mediator, all from Community Mediation Services, (CMS), Eugene, OR.

This workshop will examine the role of spirituality for people working in the field of RJ and VOM. This will be done with a focus on the harm caused by crime as assessed within the context of restorative justice, including the spiritual dimensions for mediators and participants in the application of VOM to conflict, restoration, and peacemaking. For this workshop, "spirituality" is NOT synonymous with dogma, creeds, or other aspects of the major religions, although for some people religion may be a pathway to their own spirituality. Participation requires an openness and acceptance of diverse religious and spiritual beliefs and practices.

Presenters: Mark S. Umbreit, Ph.D., Director, Center for Restorative Justice and Mediation, School of Social Work, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN. Bruce Kittle, JD and M.Div., Director of the Restorative Justice Project at the University of Wisconsin Law School and Co-Chair of the VOMA Board.

For years different agencies and courts have been trying to develop victim offender mediation services in the State of Arizona. Through group discussion, participants will examine its success and explore what lies ahead for restorative justice and victim offender mediation.

Presenter: Adam Glaser, Mediation Coordinator, Arizona Attorney General’s Office

3:00 - 3:45 BREAK

3:45 - 5:00 Closing Plenary: "Sharing Our Experience"

This plenary will be a facilitated discussion – what brings us to this work and what issues matter to us? What did we bring to the VOMA conference and what do we take home with us? All conference attendees are invited to participate.

Are you a VOMA Member? If you would like to join VOMA, please complete and return this form:

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