Measuring Juvenile Justice Outcomes for Restorative Justice Diversion Programs
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Abstract
The use of restorative justice principles for diversion of juvenile offenders seems to be a promising alternative to the
more punitive practices of the traditional juvenile justice system. Restorative justice seeks to restore the harm caused
to victims and the community through direct engagement with the affected parties while maintaining a focus on
offender accountability. Although there have been many individual studies of restorative justice programs of all types,
there has been less focus on consistency across studies. Through a review of 11 existing studies covering 15 juvenile
restorative justice diversion programs, sourced from a recent meta-analysis (3), I analyze the variety in both program
attributes and restorative justice research. Findings indicate that juvenile restorative justice diversion programs
differ greatly in attributes such as funding, administration, and sources of cases. In addition, examination of the
effectiveness of restorative justice diversion programs has found mixed results. While it is difficult to draw definitive
conclusions from this research given the wide variety in how recidivism and other program outcomes are measured,
a majority of the studies included in the analysis supported the continued use of restorative justice programs as a
diversion method for juveniles.
Article Details
References
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