Täter-Opfer-Ausgleich und strafrechtliche Mediation

The legal framework for the implementation of victim-offender mediation (a sub-category of restorative justice) is extremely favorable in Germany. Unfortunately, far too little use has been made of these legally enshrined possibilities to date. The Venice Declaration of the Ministers of Justice of the Council of Europe has just emphasized that restorative justice should not only be a considered “as a simple tool in the framework of the traditional approach to criminal justice, but as a broader culture that should permeate the criminal justice system.” This manual is intended to provide guidance and support to judges and prosecutors in referring more criminal cases to victim-offender-mediation.