ABSTRACT
When we speak of ‘mediation’ the related concept of ‘conflict’ immediately comes to mind. And conflict leads, in turn, to a number of heterogeneous situations since conflict can arise in the family, at school, in social or economic relations or in the commission of a crime – different situations that require different solutions. If conflict derives from or is expressed as a crime, we can speak specifically of victim–offender mediation as a means of intervention linked to a legal framework – that of penal law – that has a ‘rigid’ structure dominated by very detailed procedural rules and a sound system of guarantees for the benefit of the defendant.
