Can At-Risk Youth be Diverted from Crime? A Meta-Analysis of Restorative Diversion Programs

• In Event: Altering the Trajectories for At-Risk Youth

Abstract

Existing reviews of the impact of restorative justice programs on juvenile recidivism have reached mixed conclusions. The present meta-analysis identified relevant studies through a systematic search of 20 databases over a 25-year period as well as the ancestry method. Application of inclusion criteria resulted in a set of 25 studies contributing 27 independent effect sizes. Programs were found to be overall effective at reducing recidivism, with a pooled odds ratio of 1.34. Subgroup analyses indicate no significant effects of teen court programs, and strong evidence that study and treatment characteristics play a role in evaluation results, such as strength of research design and racial/ethnic mix of program participants. Overall quality of the literature is relatively weak, with the large majority of studies derived from non-peer-reviewed sources and a lack of detail presented on treatment characteristics. Limitations with respect to exclusion criteria, sample sizes, and between-study heterogeneity are discussed.

Authors

• Jennifer Wong, Simon Fraser University

• Jessica Bouchard, Simon Fraser University

• Jason Gravel, University of California, Irvine

• Martin Bouchard, Simon Fraser University

• Carlo Morselli, University de Montreal