Barron County Restorative Justice: The Role One Program Played in Reducing Juvenile Crime and Restoring Lives.

Source: (2009) Protecting Children: A Professional Publication of American Humane. 24(4):5-18.

One of the primary programs of restorative
justice today is victim-offender conferencing
(VOC), in which victims and offenders, along with
facilitators, discuss the impact that a criminal
act has had on them and how they can begin
healing. VOC and restorative justice programs
generally have high satisfaction levels and
positive effects on both victims and offenders
(Abrams & Umbreit, 2002; Bradbury, 2002). On the
whole, restorative justice has been found to have a
positive impact in lowering recidivism rates (Evje
& Cushman, 2000). Specifically, it has long been
found that youths participating in restorative
justice programs, particularly VOC, have lower
recidivism rates (Schneider, 1986; Stone, 2000).
However, these positive findings have not been
universal (Stone, Helms, & Edgeworth, 1998;
Robinson, 2003). Our study examines the attempt
of restorative justice programs to lower juvenile
crime rates in Barron County, a rural county in
northwestern Wisconsin. (excerpt)