ABSTRACT
This chapter presents the comparative analysis in epistemological terms. It highlights and contextualizes the various restorative justice programmes within what we call the societal ecology' of the three main countries: Austria, Finland and the Netherlands under examination. It also examines more in depth the results of the victims' experiences of the restorative justice programmes, basing the analysis on the main findings obtained in Austria, Belgium, Finland and the Netherlands. Then, the chapter combines all the topics under discussion in order to allow for a better understanding of victims' experiences in restorative justice. It finalizes by arguing that the institutional setting does seem to play a relevant role in the way that victims experience restorative justice. For the Netherlands, Laxminarayan, Lens and Pemberton provide an insightful account of the history of VOM in the framework of larger policies as well as of its assessment by different scholars writing from inside and outside the Netherlands.
