Understanding Reoffending.

Source: (1999) Institute of Criminology, Wellington. 1999.

This report examines whether or not family group conferences can
contribute to the reintegration of offenders and to the prevention of
reoffending. It also provides a method of retrospective analysis which
can be used to model factors affecting reoffending.
Data on early life experiences and offending histories, family group
conference experiences, and post family group conference experiences
including reconviction history are presented based on file information on,
and interviews with, 108 young people who had offended and had a
family group conference in 1990/91. Information was also available on
98 of these young people from their parents.
Results of statistical analyses indicate that the experience at family
group conferences can have an impact on reconviction independently of
other early life events and that those factors relating to family group
conferences which are effective predictors of reconviction reflect key
restorative values, processes and outcomes. The implications of the
results of this research for the youth justice system and for the
prevention of offending and reoffending are discussed.