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Victim Offender
Mediation/Dialogue Program
Victim Services,
Texas Dept. of Criminal Justice
The purpose of the Victim Offender Mediation/Dialogue Program (VOM/D), housed in Victim Services of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ), is to provide victims of violent crime the opportunity to have a structured face-to-face meeting with their offender(s) in a secure, safe environment in order to facilitate a healing, recovery process.
Three basic program elements make the Texas VOM/D program unique in the United States, and perhaps the world. These elements, though represented within other programs on an isolated basis, do not appear together as consistent characteristics of an established state-wide system as they do in Texas.
PROGRAM STRUCTURE
The first element, program structure, places the VOM/D program within the Victim Services Division of the TDCJ. As a state-wide initiative, Victim Services has authority and responsibility within all facets of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, including probation, parole. State jails, and the world's largest prison system. A strong cooperative working relationship also exists with the Texas Youth
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