“Holding Juvenile Offenders Accountable: A Restorative Justice Perspective.”

Source: (1995) Juvenile and Family Court Journal 46(2):31-42.

This essay defines accountability for juvenile offenders as an intervention strategy within the context of the restorative justice paradigm. In the restorative justice paradigm, the meaning of accountability shifts the focus from incurring a debt to society to that of incurring a responsibility for making amends to the victimized person, from passively taking punishment to making things right. A punitive form of accountability is de-emphasized. Suggested accountability interventions under the restorative justice paradigm are summarized, including financial restitution with victim input, victim-directed community work service, personal service to victim, victim-offender groups, victim- offender mediation, and a continuum of mediation interventions in juvenile court.