Victim Offender Dialogues* (VODs)
A VOD is a face-to-face meeting between the person who was harmed and the person responsible for the harm who is currently incarcerated or on parole. A VOD is a survivor-initiated process in cases of severe harm. It can be a unique pathway towards more healing or meaning-making for survivors who have experienced severe violence. The experience of talking directly with the responsible party in a safe setting is something many survivors desire. There is no singular outcome for a survivor who wants to engage a VOD; the process is highly personal and individualized – some survivors seek this path to give voice to all they endured, others to get answers to questions only the person responsible for the harm can know; some survivors want a space to express their anger, others wish to express forgiveness.
In a VOD, people responsible for harm can hear the wide-ranging and complex impact of their actions. They may experience healing while working with facilitators to explore deeper causes of why they committed harm; they may experience a range of emotions when offering accountability to the survivor. Both parties actively participate in a reparative process tailored to their needs. A VOD dialog can help participants expand on the tragic event's meaning and explore a new purpose. The process is 100% voluntary and can be stopped at any time by either party.
*A note about language: Labels such as “ victim” and “offender” can trap people in their identity. Many people don’t identify with these labels, and people’s life experiences are more than the worst moments of their lives. We do not use this term, but Victim Offender Dialogue (VOD) is the standard name for this nationally recognized process. We use the terms “person who committed a harm / responsible person” and “person who was harmed" or ” “survivor.”
Suppose you or someone you know is a survivor interested in initiating a VOD. In that case, you can email us at contact@ahimsacollective.net or start the process directly with the Office of Victim and Survivor Rights Services by calling them at 1-877-256-6877 or by email at OVSRS_VOD@cdcr.ca.gov. After initiating the process with the State, OVSRS will assign your VOD to one of the community-based providers and carefully held by two skilled facilitators. The Ahimsa Collective is one of six community-based organizations that offer VODs in the State of California.