Programs

The Victim Impact: Listen and Learn curriculum was piloted nationally in 2006 with Virginia as one of the four pilot states. Since 2006, it has continued to run in Virginia and is now in more than 20 units. In 2018, VADOC expanded the program into Probation and Parole. This education/awareness curriculum is focused on sensitizing perpetrators to the impact that crime has on victims, families, and the community. The program is structured to hold perpetrators accountable for the harm they caused and to help foster a level of empathy toward crime victims and survivors. This program does NOT require any level of disclosure by participants concerning their specific crimes.

The goal of this program is to have participants gain a better insight into the harm they have caused their victims and the ripple effect of that harm throughout the community. It is not designed to deal with any personal trauma or victimization they or their families have experienced or the impact that their incarceration has had on their families. It is a 13 week program with each session lasting approximately 2.5 hours. Each subsection of offenses covered in the curriculum will focus on the financial, physical, emotional, and religious/spiritual impact of crime on victims/the community. Included with this curriculum are videos of victims’ first-hand accounts of the crime committed against them. The heart of this program is the crime victim guest speakers that visit Virginia's prison and Probation Districts to share their story with perpetrators attending the program. The program bridges the gap between crime victims and perpetrators, offering education and healing on both sides.

The Virginia Department of Corrections provides a facilitated Victim Offender Dialogue (VOD) process. This process is victim-initiated and victim-sensitive. After a series of preparation meetings with a trained facilitator, a face-to-face dialogue may occur between the victim/survivor and the perpetrator responsible for the crime.

Victims/Survivors interested in learning more should contact the DOC Victim Services Unit for further information. Please call (800) 560-4292 or (804) 674-3243.