The Stuttgart Youth Welfare Office created a mediation office as early as 1989, one year before victim-offender mediation was included in the Juvenile Court Act. Today, a mediator and a mediator work in the outpatient measures of youth welfare in criminal proceedings.
At the opening ceremony on June 10, the head of the Youth Welfare Office, Dr. Susanne Heynen, said: "The educational concept of the Juvenile Criminal Code is close to our hearts. With the mediation offer for victim-offender mediation, we also take injured parties and victims of crimes into consideration. Because all-party counseling is very important to us, we applied for certification and are pleased to receive the seal of approval."
The Reparation Conferences
During the presentation of the seal of approval, Susanne Papperitz, chairwoman of the Federal Association for Victim-Offender Mediation, emphasized that not only is good mediation work being done in Stuttgart, but that the Stuttgart mediators have contributed significantly to the development of victim-offender mediation: "With the model reparation conferences, you have shown ways to include the social environment in the mediation process, and you have been equally committed to promoting victim-offender mediation even in cases of serious crimes."
During the subsequent symposium on June 11, more than 100 mediators, police officers and lawyers from Baden-Württemberg exchanged views on the practice and development possibilities of victim-offender mediation. Isabel Fezer, Mayor for Youth and Education, referred to the reparation conferences on the so-called "Stuttgart Riots" and emphasized the great importance of these projects within the framework of victim-offender mediation for restoring social peace.
The current annual report is available from the specialized office, jasmina.wiehestuttgartde telephone 0711/216-55379.