Summary
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This article addresses the issue of promoting and managing change within juvenile probation departments. The article focuses specifically upon: (1) bringing clarity to the mission and purpose of probation; (2) building system and community support for that mission; and (3) developing a management approach that brings some sanity and hope to the probation system. The mission of the juvenile court in delinquency proceedings should be to restore peace. This philosophy of restorative justice views crime as a violation of one person by another, rather than against the State. It emphasizes problem solving for the future rather than establishing blame for past behavior. Three such programs are: (1) Victim-Offender Mediation; (2) Community Service; and (3) Competency Based Interventions.
