After the Crime: The Power of Restorative Justice Dialogues Between Victims and Violent Offenders

2012 Winner of the Outstanding Book Award presented by the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences

Outstanding Academic Title from 2011 by Choice Magazine

Too often, the criminal justice system silences victims, which leaves them frustrated, angry, and with many unanswered questions. Despite their rage and pain, many victims want the opportunity to confront their offenders and find resolution. After the Crime explores a victim-offender dialogue program that offers victims of severe violence an opportunity to meet face-to-face with their incarcerated offenders. Using rich in-depth interview data, the book follows the harrowing stories of crimes of stranger rape, domestic violence, marital rape, incest, child sexual abuse, murder, and drunk driving, ultimately moving beyond story-telling to provide an accessible scholarly analysis of restorative justice.

Susan Miller argues that the program has significantly helped the victims who chose to face their offenders in very concrete, transformative ways. Likewise, the offenders have also experienced positive changes in their lives in terms of creating greater accountability and greater victim empathy. After the Crime explores their transformative experiences with restorative justice, vividly illustrating how one program has worked in conjunction with the criminal justice system in order to strengthen victim empowerment.

Author: Susan L. Miller
Publisher: New York University Press
Published: 04/04/2011
Pages: 304
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.83lbs
Size: 8.98h x 5.96w x 0.67d
ISBN: 9780814795538

Review Citation(s):
Choice 12/01/2011
Reference and Research Bk News 06/01/2011 pg. 122

About the Author
Miller, Susan L.: - Susan L. Miller is Professor in the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice at the University of Delaware. She is the author of Victims as Offenders: Women's Use of Violence in Relationships.