The victim-offender mediation in Turkish Criminal Law

The Restorative Justice concept and tendance resolving criminal conflicts out-of legal procedure which is sourced from the necessity of the protection of the victim and reducing criminal proceedings, formalised an alternative dispute resolution, called ?victimoffender mediation?. This method, by which the resolution of criminal conflict has been realised out of the judicial proceedings by the mediation of neutral third person, has been arose among the common law countries in 1970?s, and initially implemented in civil law conflicts. Recently, it has been speedly effecting the civil law countries and also criminal law. This method was also put into force in Turkish Criminal Law under the name of ?uzlaşma? with the context of total amendment in criminal legislation, in 2005. In this study, the compatibility of this method in our legal system which is based on ?compulsion of public prosecution? from the point of view of basic principles of criminal and criminal procedure law, and also the rights of defendant. Keywords :Mediation, Victim-Offender Mediation, Restorative Justice, Alternative Dispute Resolution/ADR, Diversion,