Lake County Juvenile Victim/Offender Mediation Volunteers Sought

The speaker at the March 21st meeting of the Grayslake Rotary Club was Carrie Wings,Victim Witness Counselor for the Lake County State's Attorney's Office.

Carrie detailed the Victim-Offender Mediation (VOM) program, a restorative justice approach that is being established to provide the victims of juvenile crime answers and closure to the crime committed against them.  It also allows the victim to work directly with the offender to establish terms for an agreement to satisfactorily resolve the impact of the crime.   VOM helps all parties understand why the delinquent behavior happened, restores feelings of safety and trust  for the victims, and holds juvenile offenders accountable for their actions, outside the scope of the legal system, where it could have a permanent impact on their lives and ability to be future responsible members of society.

Carrie is soliciting up to 24 screened, approved volunteers to become community-based mediators for the program.  Interested individuals can find out more information via her information sheet or can contact Carrie for more information at 847-377-7824 or cwings@lakecountyil.gov.