Criminals and their victims to get mediation services

Criminals will now be able to clear the air with their victims once they are released from parole.

The new mediation service, which will be run by the Victim Support Service within the Department of Probation and Parole, will be purely voluntary and only apply if both offender and victim agree to the terms.

Home affairs minister Carmelo Abela said that the mediation scheme will benefit both the victims, who will be able to get some of the pain off their chests, and the offenders, who will be able to realise the true consequences of their actions. 

"Victim protection remains a crucial point, but we cannot ignore the need for offenders to reintegrate into society," he said. "It is in everyone's best interests that prisoners don't return to a life of crime once they are released.

"This scheme has at heart the value of reciprocal justice, to bring the two parties closer to each other. It will require a culture change and won't be accepted from day one, but it is the direction we must head towards."