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Summary

Longclaws, L. and Barkwell, L and Galaway, Burt (1995). Piloting Family Group Conferences for Young Aboriginal Offenders in Winnipeg, Canada In: J. Hudson et al. (eds.), Family Group Conferences: Perspectives on Policy and Practice. Monsey, NY: Criminal Justice Press, pp. 195-205.

This paper reports on a pilot project using family group conferences for eight Aboriginal young offenders and their families in Winnipeg. With the cooperation of the probation service, the recommendations of the conferences were substituted for a predisposition report and were presented to the court as the recommended disposition. The results of the process are described, including initial meetings, venue and timing of FGCs, participants, and the conference process. The plans developed and the process of presenting them to court are described. The judges who sentenced in the cases largely ignored the recommendations from the FGCs. Implications are discussed.