The CUNY Dispute Resolution Center at John Jay College, Mediators Beyond Borders International, and the Master of Arts Degree Program in International Crime and Justice

invite everyone to 
From the Rule of Law to the Rule of Love

This presentation focuses on the participant roles adopted in Restorative Justice Practice. Based on Goffman's notion of people performing contextually preferred identities a qualitative study of victim offender mediations [VOMs] shows that the roles reflect a moral assessment of the situation. This assessment is structured by a confessional ethos, including demanding remorse from the perpetrator and mercy from the victim. These and other participant positions will be illustrated from observations of VOMs and interviews with the participants.

Ida Helene Asmussen, PhD., is an Associate Professor in Mediation and Legal Sociology at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark.  She holds a BA. in Nordic Studies and Linguistics, BA. and MA. in Law and a Ph.D. at the Faculty of Law. Previously, she was a deputy judge.