Criminal mediation in Nicaragua

Abstract

The Nicaraguan penal mediation is a proposal, which involves society to solve by itself those conflicts that constitute criminal conduct. It implies that the victim and the offender meet face to face, mediated by a third party that will allow them to express their emotions, opinions and versions of the conflict, seeking a common agreement to repair the inflicted damage. Its purpose is highly educational and promoter of restorative justice; and it manifests itself through the principle of opportunity in Nicaragua. It is a highly democratic process and it is internationally discussed by the doctrine. There is a current debate about its legal usefulness as access to justice or as a means to get away from it. Either way, through criminal mediation, Nicaraguan traditional criminal proceedings based on the principle of legality are changed and the parties are given the responsibility to take the mechanisms of conflict resolution by themselves.