Juvenile Restorative Justice: Analyzing the Experiences of Juvenile Participants in a Restorative Justice Program

• In Event: Poster Session I

Abstract

Restorative justice is an alternative criminal justice approach that focuses on the rehabilitation and reintegration of juveniles through resolutions with victims and the community at large. The main purpose of this study is to examine the experiences of both victim and offender during a restorative justice conference and to examine if there is a congruent feeling of satisfaction shared between the victim and offender. This study also aims to determine if a high level of congruence shared between participants is associated with lower levels of recidivism. The sample (N = 54) consists of first time juvenile offenders, from Pennsylvania with the average age of 13.61 (SD= 1.917); 51.9% male. The results show that although there is a congruence of satisfaction between victim and offender following these conferences, this congruence is not related to recidivism. Furthermore, these findings suggest that the older the participants are during these conferences, the less likely it is for them to share a high level of congruence. Further research should continue to probe the potential mediating and moderating variables that influence restorative justice programs in order to determine what parts of the conference effect recidivism rates and for whom the programs are more valuable.

Authors

• Christian Lara, California State University, Los Angeles

• Carly Dierkhising, California State University, Los Angeles