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John P. Sarcone
Polk County Attorney
“Repairing the harm caused by crime”
Victim Offender Reconciliation
Program (VORP)
The Center offers crime victims the opportunity
to confront offenders in a controlled setting with
the assistance of a trained facilitator. The
program, known as the Victim Offender
Reconciliation Program (VORP),allows:
 Victims to hold the offender
accountable
 Offenders to take responsibility for their
actions
 Victims and offenders to reach
agreements on restitution and other
issues
 The process of healing to begin
The community is also involved in VORP
through what is called Community
Conferencing. The community gets to meet
with offenders in cases where the community is
a victim. These crimes include:
 Prostitution
 Bootlegging
 Drugs
 Property Damage
Participation in VORP is always voluntary for
the victim.
The Office of the
Polk County Attorney
Restorative Justice Center
Polk County Attorney’s Office
222 Fifth Avenue
Des Moines, Iowa 50266
Phone: (515) 286-3057
Fax: (515) 323-5254
www.polkcountyiowa.gov

2. About Restorative Justice….
Restorative Justice is a new way of thinking
about crime. It views crime as an act of harm
against victims and the community aswell as a
violation of the law. It provides opportunities for
victims, communities, offenders and the justice
systemto work together to identify and repair the
harmcaused by crime.
The Restorative Justice Center
Originally known as the Neighborhood
Mediation Center,the Polk County Attorney’s
Office Restorative Justice Center offers a wide
range of services including:
 Mediation
 Victim Offender Reconciliation Program
 Bad Check Restitution Program
 Civilian Intake
 Truancy Program
 License Reinstatement Program
Mediation
Mediation is a confidential and “out-of-court”
procedure which gives parties involved in a
dispute a chance to meet and, with the help of a
mediator, reach a resolution or agreement.
Mediation is often recommended in the following
types of disputes:
 Repair, return, or replacement of
property
 Payment of medical expenses
 Agreement to modify or cease specific
behavior
Bad Check Restitution Program
The Polk County Attorney’s Bad Check
Restitution Program is designed to aid local
merchants who have been victimized by bad
check losses.
The goal is to increase the accountability of bad
check writers and to recover the losses for the
businesses without increasing the administrative
burden on the court systm.
Civilian Intake
This division works with citizens who believe a
crime has been committed against them. Citizens
can access this service only after they have
notified the appropriate law enforcement agency
who, for whatever reason,has not filed a criminal
charge against the suspect.
The process is as follows:
 A citizen mankes an appointment to be
interviewed by a legal assistant
 The legal assistant collects and presents
the evidence to an Assistant County
Attorney
 The Assistant County Attorney
determines what action may be taken to
assist the citizen
Truancy Court Program
The Truancy Court Program is a joint effort
between the Polk County Attorney’s Office, the
Des Moines Public Schools and the Polk
County District Court to reach the parents of
truant children between the ages of 6-16 years
before the filing of formal charges.
Parents of truant students are requested to
attend court and are given the opportunity to
participate in mediation with school personnel.
These sessions are aimed at helping parents and
students work out any existing problems so the
student’s attendance can improve.
License Reinstatement
Program (LRP)
The License Reinstatement Program (LRP) is a
program that allows people whose driver’s
license has been suspended for non-payment of
traffic tickets to get a valid driver’s license.
The program is set up to maximize the potential
for an individual to succeed at paying off their
fines. Payment plans are worked out between
the offender and the LRP staff. Two
requirements of the program are that
participants must make their payments on time
and maintain insurance on their vehicle.