Rural Restitution Program for Juvenile Offenders and Victims (From Victims, Offenders, and Alternative Sanctions, P 131-136, 1980, Joe Hudson and Burt Galaway, ed. - See NCJ-74113)

• NCJ Number: 74122
• Author(s): R Kigin; S Novack
• Date Published: 1980
• Length: 6 pages
• Sale Source: Lexington Books
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This essay describes the operation of a rural juvenile restitution program that brings juvenile offenders and their victims together in face-to-face conferences to plan restitution requirements for youth.

Abstract

The Tri-County Juvenile Restitution Program, sponsored by Stearns, Benton, and Sherburne counties in Minnesota, brings the victim and juvenile offender together to reach an agreeable settlement. This settlement benefits offenders by helping them realize that they are responsible for their actions. It also brings compensation to the victim of the crime who, in many cases, has been the forgotten element. This paper includes a description of the restitution program's development and operation. Summary information on offenders and victims served by the program is provided based on a review of case history files from the project's first 2 years of operation. Offender and victim perceptions toward the program are also included based on surveys taken at the time of first involvement and 6 months after termination. The effectiveness of the program is reflected in its completion rates: in 2 years of operation only one juvenile did not complete the program. In addition, surveys reveal that the concept of restitution and its actual usage earn majority support of both offenders and victims involved with the program. No references are given.