NCJ Number
78902
Date Published
1981
Length
118 pages
Annotation
This manual presents step-by-step guidelines for use in the juvenile restitution program associated with the Maine District Court.
Abstract
The restitution program, initiated in January 1978, is designed to improve the quality of justice for both juvenile offenders and their victims by identifying cases in which restitution is appropriate and by providing case management services to both victims and offenders upon receipt of a referral order from the court or from the probation and parole department. Throughout the restitution process a major emphasis is placed on identifying the service needs of both the offender and the victim and on securing the necessary services to fulfill those needs. Following an introduction and summary of the program, the manual presents background information on the operation of Maine's juvenile justice system and indicates the points and levels of interface of the restitution program with the total system. The next section presents a detailed explanation of the restitution process beginning with the case screening and ending with the case closure. Individual subsections explain the program's role and mission, goals and objectives, administrative and service policies, and selection and eligibility criteria. Another subsection provides job descriptions of the program personnel, including the executive director, assistant director, juvenile case manager, victim case manager, administrative coordinator, and secretary. The action steps and interactions among the program's four operational sectors are next described in detail. The manual's final two sections present all service and operational forms and discuss administrative and personnel procedures.