Drivers that Change the Direction of Penal Policy: A Case of Developments of Victim—Offender Reconciliation in the Lithuanian Criminal Justice System

The paper presents a recent significant shift in Lithuanian penal policies on non-serious crimes where the punitive approach has given way to the restorative approach. It discusses the preconditions of this change with a particular focus on the attitudes of Lithuanian judicial authorities. In contrary to the common stereotypes and academic opinions that criminal justice system holds onto hard-line policies with a high degree of inertia, the results of the research reveals that prosecutors and judges favor the pragmatic alternative ways for solving victim—offender conflicts. Their approach is based on the conviction that full-scale prosecution and punishment for non-serious crimes often impede primary victims’ needs and places an unreasonable burden on the criminal justice system. This approach allows us to anticipate good perspectives for the implementation of the victim—offender mediation services in the Lithuanian criminal justice system.