Building and toning: An analysis of the institutionalization of mediation in penal matters in Hungary

Abstract

Since 1 January 2007, victims of crimes and offenders have been offered the chance to have recourse to mediation in Hungary. This paper will first give a short overview of the current situation of mediation in penal matters in Hungary, then it will discuss some general phenomena and dilemmas concerning the general introduction of mediation. After that, I will present a SWOT analysis1 of the current Hungarian mediation system in penal matters. The main goal of this article is to set up certain criteria for the further development of the restorative approach. The lessons we have learnt, the strengths and opportunities of the system and the identification of weaknesses might prove useful for other countries when they choose to introduce mediation, and in relation to the protection of victims in particular.U Madjarskoj je od 1. januara 2007. godine, zrtvama i uciniocima krivicnih dela ponudjena prilika da ucestvuju u medijaciji. U ovom radu ce najpre biti dat kratak pregled trenutne situacije vezane za medijaciju u krivicnim stvarima u Madjarskoj, a zatim ce biti razmotrene neke opste pojave i dileme koje se ticu uvodjenja medijacije uopste. Posle toga ce biti prikazana tzv. SWOT analiza trenutnog sistema medijacije u krivicnim starima u Madjarskoj. Osnovni cilj ovog rada je da se uspostave odredjeni kriterijumi za dalji razvoj restorativnog pristupa. Lekcije koje smo naucili, snage i mogucnosti sistema, kao i identifikacija nedostataka mogu se pokazati korisnim za druge zemlje koje odluce da uvedu medijaciju, a posebno u odnosu na zastitu prava zrtava.