Comparison of Programmatic and 'Ad Hoc' Restitution in Juvenile Courts

• NCJ Number: 96619
• Author(s): A L Schneider; P R Schneider
• Date Published: 1984
• Length: 34 pages
• Grant Number(s): 77-NI-99-0005; 79-JN-AX-0009; 82-JS-AX-0025
• Sponsoring Agency: National Institute of Justice (NIJ); US Securities and Exchange Cmssn; US Dept of Justice NIJ Pub
• Corporate Author: Institute of Policy Analysis
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/; NCJRS Photocopy Services
• Publication Type: Program/Project Evaluation
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

'Programmatic' and 'ad hoc' approaches to restitution can be distinguished by the fact that the former usually involves a full-fledged restitution program with restitution counselors or case workers who are responsible for liaison with victims, documentation of victim losses, development of restitution recommendations as part of the pre-sentence investigation, and who also take responsibility for implementing and monitoring the restitution requiremnets. This study evaluates a programmatic approach to restitution in Dane County, Wis.

Abstract

In an 'ad hoc' approach, restitution is ordered on a relatively infrequent basis and, when ordered, it tends to be viewed as a relatively minor part of the probationary requirements with little or no assistance given either to victims or offenders. The findings in this study show, first, that a programmatic approach to restitution in Dane county, Wisconsin clearly increased the likelihood of juveniles repaying victims and increased the amount of restitution paid to victims, in comparison with an ad hoc approach. The second finding was that juveniles who completed their restitution requirements were less likely to reoffend than were youths who did not complete their restitution. A multiple regression analysis indicated that this effect probably was independent of other factors. (Author abstract modified)