Exploring Variation in Youth Justice Committee Outcomes: Views of Program Coordinators

• In Event: Poster Session

Abstract

A restorative justice framework focuses on repairing the harm done to victims and the community through a process of negotiation, mediation, victim empowerment, and reparation. Restorative justice programs and are often reserved as a diversion option for youth in conflict with the law. While the last thirty years have detailed positive assessments concerning emergent outcomes of these practices, there is a need to provide a more nuanced understanding of process dynamics that explain variation between conference outcomes. Drawing from interviews with 30 program coordinators who facilitate Youth Justice Committees, a restorative justice program in Ontario, we explore situational dynamics that explain differences in program outcomes. Thematic analysis revealed three different processes including: (1) A Really Positive Experience: It Just Flows Well; (2) It’s More Like Pulling Teeth: It Feels Pretty Flat; and (3) Worse Case Scenario: It was a Total Disaster. Common themes found to influence these processes include victim participation, the presence of a community of care, interpersonal relationships, the staging of the conference, and the role of apology. Factors that explain variation within each process are discussed by drawing from ritual theory and the sociology of emotion. Implications for practice concerning youth based restorative justice programs are discussed.

Authors

• Anna-Lisa Angela Barrett, The University of Guelph-Humber

• Sara Figliola, University of Guelph-Humber

• Noah Ramsammy, University of Guelph-Humber

• Amtul Sabooh Waseem, University of Guelph-Humber