Restorative Justice and Youth Courts: An Examination of Implementation Intensity, Recidivism, and Accountability

Source: (2006) Dissertation submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Sociology.University of South Carolina.

Offered here is an evaluation of the restorative approach in the context of juvenile diversion, specifically, youth courts. Youth courts have emerged as a leading application of restorative justice over the last decade and represent an alternative to traditional family court. Despite widespread popularity of youth courts, specifically, and restorative justice, generally, the extant literature fails to adequately assess the value of such programming. Utilizing a mixed-methodological approach, courts are assessed by comparing three programs in South Carolina selected from the larger population of operational programs in the state (N=20). Several research questions are addressed, including the relationship between the implementation intensity of restorative principles and successful outcomes. (Excerpt)