Book review: Understanding Victims of Interpersonal Violence: A Guide for Investigators and Prosecutors

Date01 September 2021
Published date01 September 2021
DOI10.1177/02697580211022552
Subject MatterBook reviews
identify the mechanisms by which victim s benefit, if they do at all. On the other end of the
spectrum, some researchers focus on transformative cases and the therapeutic effects that some
victims experience (Bolitho, 2017). Bol´ıvar’s measured and meticulous approach to describing,
exploring and theorising about what goes on in the middle ground is precisely what makes it
important.
If I were to find fault with the book, then, it would only be that there are too many organising
schemas. Bol´ıvar catalogues the effects of crime on victims, their motivation for participating, the
effects of participating and a vast number of potential influences at each stage, resulting in so many
categories that I wondered whether victims’ experiences are simply so diverse that it is not possible
or worthwhile to categorise them at all. Bol´ıvar’s attempt to document factors that influence victim
motivation and RJ outcomes seems especially futile, because there are far too few victims within
each of the subgroups to be able to draw causal inferences. Having said this, however, competing
theories are often built on no evidence at all, so Bol´ıvar’s lists of potential influences are a useful
contribution to theory building, and have their place in setting the agenda for future research. I was
convinced by Bol´ıvar’s book that categorising and organising victims’ experiences are indeed a
worthwhile endeavour.
In summary, this is an excellent book and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in victims’
experiences of mediation. It covers so much material that it is a little dense, but as it separately
documents each stage in the victim–offender mediation process, the chapters could also be read
individually. The book does a fantastic, measured job of outlining what mediation did and did not
achieve for a group of victims, and it contributes important insights to our broader understanding of
victims’ needs and perceptions of justice.
Acknowledgements
The support of the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) is gratefully acknowledged: ES/VO11626/
1.
References
Bolitho J (2017) Inside the restorative justice black box. International Review of Victimology 23(3): 233–255.
Doak J and O’Mahony D (2006) The vengeful victim? Assessing the attitudes of victims participating in
restorative youth conferencing. International Review of Victimology 13(2): 157–177.
Veronique N Valliere
Understanding Victims of Interpersonal Violence: A Guide for Investigators and Prosecutors
Routledge: New York, 2020; xii þ164 pp.: ISBN 9781498780483 (pbk).
Reviewed by: Bethany L Backes, University of Central Florida, USA
DOI: 10.1177/02697580211022552
In Understanding Victims of Interpersonal Violence: A Guide for Investigators and Prosecutors
(2020), Dr Veronique N Valliere couples her clinical experience workingwith victims and offenders
of interpersonal violence with research and statistics to provide tangible lessons for the courtroom
and the classroom. Dr Valliere excels at bringing to life key examples across her chapters through
quotes and case examples to elucidate research on victimization, trauma, victim and offender
Book reviews 365

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