Work

Empathy for violent offenders: Knowing the truth facilitates victims’ empathy in victim-offender mediation

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Objective We examined whether the feeling of knowing the truth may facilitate the emergence of victims’ empathy for offenders in instances of victim-offender mediation that address violent and non-violent crimes. Methods We manipulated the perceived completeness/incompleteness of victims’ level of knowing the truth about an imagined/experienced crime and utilised a victim-offender mediation scenario design. In Studies 1 and 2, participants imagined experiencing either a violent crime or non-violent crime. In Study 3, we recruited real victims who had experienced either violent or non-violent crimes. Results In Studies 1 and 2, participants in the violent crime condition reported lower empathy, but the perception of complete truth (vs. incomplete) attenuated this effect. In Study 3, the perception of complete truth (vs. incomplete) manipulation caused victims of real crime to report greater empathy for offenders. Conclusions These findings highlight the importance of complete truth sharing in victim-offender mediation, especially for addressing violent crimes.

Source: Journal of Experimental Criminology

DOI: 10.1007/s11292-025-09704-6

Authors: Blake Quinney, Charlie Fraser, Michael Wenzel, Lydia Woodyatt

Institutions: The University of Adelaide, Flinders University

Language: English

Topic: Criminal Justice and Penology

Subfield: Law

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Peace, justice, and strong institutions

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,090