Salt Lake Peer Court: Insights from Parents

• In Event: Lessons in Restorative Justice

Abstract

Salt Lake Peer Court (SLPC) is a restorative-justice based diversion program aimed to address the School-to-Prison Pipeline by diverting youth from formal contact with the Juvenile Justice System for first-time offenses. Research on programs like SLPC shows a promising link between parental involvement and youth success. Previous participant observational research indicates that the involvement and buy-in of parents is influential to the success of youth in the program. This study includes additional findings from in-depth interviews with parents whose children participated in SLPC. Parents were asked to share their experiences with the SLPC program, specifically what the process was like for them, and whether or not they felt it was helpful for their child. Findings indicate that parents view SLPC as a beneficial program overall, due to the facilitation of connection between youth, their peers, and adult role models, as well as the encouragement of accountability and skill building for their children. Implications from the research point to a lack of parents’ knowledge or understanding of SLPC prior to participating in the program; participants were generally unaware of the structure of SLPC or how it relates to restorative justice, which could impact parents’ initial engagement with the program.

Authors

• Rebecca Young Owen, University of Utah

• Melissa Tyszko, University of Utah

• Ed A. Muñoz, University of Utah