NCJ Number
173770
Date Published
1998
Length
42 pages
Annotation
The Balanced and Restorative Justice (BARJ) Project was initiated in 1993 to provide training and technical assistance and to develop a variety of written materials to inform juvenile justice policies and practices relevant to restorative justice.
Abstract
BARJ is a new framework for juvenile justice reform that seeks to engage citizens and community groups both as clients of juvenile justice services and as resources in a more effective response to youth crime. To do this, the BARJ approach attempts to ensure juvenile justice intervention focuses on basic community needs and expectations. Restorative justice is a new way of thinking about and responding to crime that emphasizes one fundamental fact: crime damages people, communities, and relationships. Defining the harm caused by crime and determining what should be done to repair it is best accomplished with input from victims, citizens, and offenders in a decision-making process that maximizes their participation. A rationale for engaging community members and victims in the juvenile justice system process is presented, the community's role in various aspects of the response to youth crime is discussed, the relationship between communities and juvenile justice systems that appears to be emerging in conjunction with restorative justice initiatives is examined, and specific community involvement strategies to reduce youth crime are outlined. Additional information on circle sentencing, family group conference, community reparative boards, and victim-offender mediation is appended. 54 references, 5 notes, and 3 tables