Restorative Justice: Salt Lake Peer Court Recidivism to Juvenile Court

• In Event: Methods to Reduce Juvenile Recidivism: Mentoring, Restorative Justice, and Professional Discourse

Abstract

With the increased acceptance of various youth courts based on restorative justice principles to divert first time non-violent offenders away from formal juvenile court entry, there is little systematic research that examines and assesses the effectiveness of the various teen/peer court practices. This study connects Salt Lake Peer Court and Utah Administrative Office of the Courts Juvenile Court Administration data to analyze recidivism rates. Recidivism is defined as formal contact with the Juvenile Justice System within one year of exiting the Salt Lake Peer Court program. It is hypothesized that successful completion of the peer court program will be associated with lower recidivism rates.

Authors

• Rebecca Owen, University of Utah

• Ed Munoz, University of Utah

• Moises Prospero, Gang Intervention Program, Salt Lake County, Utah