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Case 3 Victim-Offender Reconciliation Program The Program: The Victim-Offender Reconciliation Program (VORP) is an alternative made available to judges, police, and probation officers. It offers a total or partial substitute for incarceration. Typical Case: Two boys, ages 8 and 11, vandalized a woman's front porch. They poured paint over her belongings and then threw the paint can through her living room window. Eventually, the woman learned who was responsible for the incident and informed police. After questioning by the police and juvenile authorities, the boys were referred to VORP. At the VORP reconciliation meeting, the parties met and discussed the incident. The victim agreed that the boys could fulfill their restitution responsibilities by helping her clean her basement. For the next 3 weeks the boys worked at the victim s house. They completed their restitution contract successfully and learned that by taking responsibility for their actions and by honoring their commitment to make things right, they could find forgiveness and acceptance even from those they had harmed.
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