NCJ Number
173766
Date Published
1998
Length
90 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 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. Further, restorative justice calls for a comprehensive approach balanced by objectives of public safety, accountability, and competency development. This approach primarily seeks to repair harm by involving each of the affected parties--victim, offender, and community. An assessment inventory is provided to evaluate diverse strategies known to lead to successful implementation of restorative justice policies and practices. This inventory contains the following components: administration, leadership, line staff alignment (culture and climate), juvenile justice system alignment, reward systems, assessment and intake, case planning, victims, offenders, and community.