Accountability Justice (From Restitution Programs in Juvenile and Family Court, 1982, Tape R-2 - See NCJ-91403)

• NCJ Number: 91405
• Author(s): D Dodge; D Maloney
• Date Published: 1982
• Length: 0 pages
• Sale Source: National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: *This document is currently unavailable from NCJRS. Running time: 1 hr.

Annotation

Following a review of the work of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) in initiating and monitoring juvenile restitution programs throughout the country, a presentation argues that properly implemented juvenile restitution programs build upon the research findings regarding the dynamics of positive youth development.

Abstract

The OJJDP has funded 41 restitution projects which have yielded an 86 percent completion rate for original and adjusted orders. Eighty-three percent of those completing restitution have had no further contact with the court, and only a small percentage recidivated during the program. The future of OJJDP's participation in the development of restitution as an option in juvenile programming is uncertain due to a budget between congressional committees and the Reagan administration, which wants to eliminate OJJDP. Restitution programs promise to be successful with juveniles because they build upon certain principles of positive youth development. The principles are as follows: (1) youth perform best when they are expected to make positive contributions; (2) youth need to apply the skills they have learned; and (3) youth develop best when they have input into the decisions that affect their lives. Restitution programs apply these principles by expecting youth to act positively to right the wrongs they have inflicted on their victims and on society. Restitution, including community service, further sets specific positive goals for youth that must be fulfilled through the application of skills they already possess or which they will learn through training. Juveniles are also encouraged to participate in the setting of restitution contract goals. The restitution approach draws juvenile corrections out of a posture of negative sanctions where the youth is acted upon but not expected to make a positive contribution, and it also encourages an assumption of an interdependent role for the youth, where the youth is expected to make a contribution to others rather than only receive services or help from authority figures. Juvenile probation should focus on restitution as the primary thrust for juvenile corrections.