The philosophy of the VORS program is based on a concept called “restorative justice.”  The justice system of old was based on a punitive approach:  “Lock ‘em up and throw away the key.”  While this approach stopped socially unacceptable behavior on the outside, it actually developed and solidified this poor behavior on the inside.  For example, youths who go in for lighter offenses sometimes leave the system a little bit more hardened with greater criminal knowledge.  The other hole in the justice system was the fact that it virtually ignored the needs of victims.  Today’s modern-day issues are crying out for a change.  Our program is currently making an impact on the juvenile justice system through its multilateral focus.  There are three primary parties who have an interest in the end result of a crime: 

1. The youth and his family.
2. The victim and any other related parties.
3. The community.

For the youth, our aim is that he would exit the justice system with greater competence.  We are particularly trying to help the youth to further develop critical thinking skills and his ability to empathize with others.  Those two skills are what will enable the youth to consider how his actions will affect himself and other people if the opportunity to commit a crime should present itself again.

We want to empower the victim, offering them a forum where they can express their anger, fears, or frustrations over the incident.  Equally as important is the opportunity they get to obtain restitution for their losses.

Finally, we actively involve the community because it also has a strong interest at stake in ensuring that youths understand and care about what is right and wrong.  Every mediation involves two mediators selected from various communities in LA County.  They are trained extensively and mentored over the course of several mediations.

Training seasons vary throughout the year.  For the latest training information, please click on the following three documents.  You will find a training flyer indicating dates and times of our next coming training, a letter written to prospective volunteers which indicates the commitment required, and an application which you can fill out and send back to us by regular mail: 

You can also send it by e-mail to vors@cvjdp.org