NCJ Number
192168
Journal
Youth and Society Volume: 33 Issue: 2 Dated: December 2001 Pages: 133-142
Date Published
December 2001
Length
10 pages
Annotation
This essay introduces 10 articles that examine the common ground and opportunities that could emerge from a combined restorative justice and drug treatment approach for youthful offenders.
Abstract
The articles resulted from two expert meetings sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment. The meetings took place in 1999 and 2000 and brought together adolescent treatment experts and restorative justice scholars along with practitioners in both areas. The groups discussed the extent to which juvenile drug treatment was already using principles of restorative justice, the feasibility of using restorative justice approaches in substance abuse intervention, and existing applications and experiments with these methods. They also explored the barriers and benefits of integrating justice and treatment needs, as well as the feasibility of developing pilot programs, training initiatives, and research projects in this area. The articles review drug treatment approaches and juvenile justice; the multiple adolescent developmental, motivational, and family considerations involved in any effective intervention; the principles and potential of restorative justice; and applications of these principles in institutions and communities. The final article outlines some of the challenges and changes that would require attention to merge restorative justice approaches with substance abuse treatment interventions. Figures, footnotes, and chapter references