Changes to mediation activities are recorded in the Government Programme, and as a rule, mediation in cases involving domestic or intimate partner violence will be discontinued. However, the planned changes involve the risk of making it more difficult to refer the parties concerned to the necessary services, which may cause further problems in the future.
Referral to services could make it possible to achieve good results through mediation before any crimes occur. Particularly in the case of young people, it would be important to intervene in inappropriate behaviour at an early stage.
"Mediation is a fine tool that enables people to be expertly referred to other necessary services – but why should we wait until a crime occurs that then requires mediation?" Chief Superintendent Pekka Heikkinen from the National Police Board poses this question in his blog post. Currently, there are problems in mediation, but it can be considered to offer more opportunities than threats.
In Heikkinen's opinion, mediation services should be developed rather than prohibited. For example, crimes committed by juveniles are often preceded by inappropriate behaviour, which, in the worst case scenario, leads to acts that meet the characteristics of a crime. It should be possible to intervene in these attendant phenomena at an early stage. Intervention requires cooperation, competence and commitment from various authorities and actors. The police wish to add preventive mediation to the toolbox of those working with young people, which could help youngsters understand the consequences of their actions and reduce confrontation.
