Balancing the Response to Youth Crime: Prospects for a Restorative Juvenile Justice in the Twenty-First Century

Source: (1998) In, A. R. Roberts, ed., Juvenile Justice: Policies, Programs, and Services, Second Edition. Chicago: Nelson-Hall Publishers. Pp. 371-408.

Current approaches in juvenile justice, based on a retributive philosophical framework and the individual treatment mission, have failed to satisfy the basic needs of victims, the community, and juvenile offenders. This chapter explores a new framework based on the restorative justice philosophy and the Balanced Approach mission. This framework requires that juvenile justice systems devote primary attention to reparation for harm to victims and the community, increasing offender competencies, and protecting the public through processes in which offenders, victims, and the community are all active participants. Balanced and restorative justice reform builds on existing programs and practices such as victim offender mediation, creative community service, restitution work experience and other competency development strategies for enhancing public safety. The chapter includes discussion questions based on the information presented. Abstract courtesy of National Criminal Justice Reference Service, www.ncjrs.org