Settlement process

The reconciliation process is a dialogue in which the victim and the offender voluntarily participate and which is led by a neutral person—a mediator—who helps the parties involved to agree on a mutually acceptable and fair solution.

The State Probation Service, in implementing the reconciliation process, offers to participate in:

• a reconciliation meeting involving the victim, the offender, and supporters. The victim – a minor or a person under guardianship – may not participate in the conciliation meeting if this could harm the victim’s mental health or safety. In such cases, only the victim’s legal representative participates in the conciliation process.
• A wider range of participants (the victim, the offender, their parents, and others who were affected by the crime, as well as specialists who can provide support to both the offender and the victim and their families. Conferencing is mostly used in work with minors.

It is an opportunity to:

• discuss what happened in the presence of a mediator who helps to maintain peaceful negotiations during the reconciliation process so that the victim and the offender can reach an acceptable and mutually fair solution;
• discuss the impact and consequences of what happened;
• to establish a dialogue in a safe environment (non-judgmental attitude, confidentiality);
• to resolve the incident more quickly than through litigation;
• to involve their supporters (relatives, friends, parents, and other important people) in the reconciliation process.

More about the mediation process: https://www.vpd.gov.lv/lv/izliguma-process