Juveniles

Articles discussing the use of restorative processes with juvenile offenders.

Fine Line

You are right, it is a fine line. It can be beneficial to let the conversation continue when its productive. Maybe there is a need [...]

Where do we draw the line?

by Lynette Parker Sometimes interesting things happen when I’m pre-conferencing juvenile offenders with their parents. Often, it’s the juvenile and his/her mother there for the meeting. Generally, we start with the parent being defensive, protective of his/her child. Yet, as we discuss the incident that brought their family to restorative justice, other things tend to come up such as conflict between the parent and juvenile. Sometimes these are related directly to the offense sometimes they are not. I always feel that I’m walking a fine line as facilitator when this happens.

RJ and age of Criminal Responsibility

I saw this headline last week in my Twitter feed. Several people were asking if this was appropriate. I was amazed when I read that [...]

Norfolk police deal with offenders as young as four

from the article by Ben Kendall in Norwich Evening News: Child offenders as young as four have been dealt with by police in Norfolk using alternatives to court, new figures have revealed. According to statistics released by Norfolk police under the Freedom of Information Act, more than 500 under-12s are dealt with using restorative justice each year.

How to turn a child offender into an adult criminal – In 10 easy steps

from the paper by NZ Youth Court Judge Andrew Becroft: The theme of this paper is probably similar to many others about youth justice, except that it is approached from a perspective that is deliberately contrary to all but the most committed devil’s advocate. No reasonable person would ever suggest that the goal of a youth justice system is to promote criminality as a career choice for young people. However, blatantly inverting 30 years of accumulated youth justice wisdom provokes useful discussion. It is also hoped that this deliberately polemical approach will help us identify what is essential about any youth justice system and focus our attention on the principles that are most important when addressing youth offending.

Theresa May to scrap asbos (antisocial behaviour orders)

from the story by Alan Travis in The Guardian: ....In her first speech on antisocial behaviour and alcohol-fuelled disorder, the home secretary said it was time to turn the system on its head and demonstrate that community action was needed, rather than Whitehall "magic buttons". May said she wanted asbos replaced with simpler sanctions that were easier to obtain and to enforce: "Where possible they should be rehabilitating and restorative, rather than criminalising and coercive."

Request for assistance regarding a South African case

from Ann Skelton: Mike Batley and I are currently working on a Constitutional Court case in South Africa in which we are arguing that the civil justice system has not kept pace with developments in the criminal justice system to encourage more restorative justice approaches. The case in point is a civil claim for damages for defamation of character by a school teacher against school pupils who manufactured a naughty (but funny from an adolescent perspective) picture of him by pasting his head on the body of a gay wrestler. The picture was on the school notice board for 30 minutes, and some children in the school also received the image via their cell phones. The children were punished in school (5 detentions + honours colours taken away), were charged criminally and were diverted (they completed 56 hours of community service at the zoo), they attempted to apologise, and have now been successfully sued through the civil justice system to pay damages. They now appeal to the Constitutional Court. Their main arguments have to do with Freedom of expression and 'jest' as a defence, but the Restorative Justice Centre is entering as amicus curiae to make various points about restorative justice.

Vandals repair damage they did

from the article in NewsWales.co.uk: Last November a group of young people caused criminal damage to the Rhydyfelin Children’s Centre in Holly Street, Rhydyfelin, by smashing windows and lights, removing a gas meter cover, and spraying graffiti. Following a successful police investigation five local boys aged 9 to 13 were identified by CCTV and traced. After admitting to what they had done, and at the request of the centre manager, a restorative justice meeting was held with the police, the centre, the boys and their parents. It was agreed that the boys would carry out work at the centre as recompense for their actions.

Highbridge park shooting resolved with 'restorative justice'

from Burnham-On-Sea.com: The teenager accused of shooting a boy in the face with a BB gun in a Highbridge park last weekend has been dealt with by means of restorative justice, police said on Thursday (May 27th). The youngster was called into Burnham police station where he met his 10 year-old victim to discuss Saturday's incident in Apex Park near Mallard Place, which was exclusively first reported on Burnham-On-Sea.com here.

RJ in different contexts

Lisa, So far, I've only heard RJ discussed in juvenile justice because I've been in meetings related to that subject. The Congress is so large [...]

restorative justice @ the UN Crime Congress

How exciting is that! Is restorative justice being discussed, or presented, related to juvenile justice only or also with adult offenders? What are you hearing [...]

RJ at the UN Crime Congress

Lisa, thanks for your comments. It is interesting how the language of restorative justice is popping up all over the place in UN settings these [...]

restorative justice at the United Nations Congress

Thank you for this report, Lynnette. It is very helpful. I work with UNICRI, the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute, and have [...]

Restorative Justice at the UN Crime Congress

I’m in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil, representing Prison Fellowship International at the 12th United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice. Later in the week, I will be participating in sessions on restorative justice in prisons and restorative justice in Latin America. So, I was quite interested to hear several references to restorative justice in today’s opening events. I wanted to share some of what was reported and a few of my thoughts.

Youth Justice in Western Australia

from the Executve Summary of the study by Dr Harry Blagg: The aim of this paper is to advance debate about the future of youth justice in Western Australia. The focus is on how we can improve outcomes for the small number of children who are coming into contact with the criminal justice system. It argues that youth justice practice has been allowed to drift over the past decade, principally because of lack of focus on the specific needs of young offenders due to the subordinate status of youth justice within what is essentially an adult focused correctional bureaucracy, and because of waning commitment to the principle of diversion on behalf of the police. These two phenomena are interconnected. Lack of clarity regarding the role of youth justice has led to a decline in the quality of support for children and families at risk, which has, in turn, undermined confidence within the police regarding the benefits of diversion from the system. Diversion is simply about choosing the least intrusive option when dealing with young offenders.

Restorative justice can alter behavior of perpetrators, teach empathy

Wright response to Independent Commission on Youth Crime and Antisocial Behaviour

Martin Wright's response to the Independent Commission's consultation paper.

Wright response to Independent Commission on Youth Crime and Antisocial Behaviour

Martin Wrights comments in response to a consultation paper released by the Independent Commission.

Response to the (UK) Independent Commission on Youth Crime and Antisocial Behaviour

by Martin Wright Note: The Independent Commission on Youth Crime and Antisocial Behaviour was formed in the UK to seek: ...ways to reduce the damage that children and young people who take part in antisocial and criminal acts can cause to victims, to neighbourhoods and to themselves. In inviting views on how this should be done, we acknowledge the emotional and social harm as well as the financial costs that can result from such behaviour. We are looking for ways of responding to youth crime and antisocial behaviour that are more clearly principled, as well as fair, humane and more cost-effective than those presently in place. We anticipate that such a system would not only meet the needs of children, families and the wider community more effectively, but also – through its grounding in agreed principles – prove politically sustainable. Here are portions of Dr. Martin Wright's comments on a consultation paper released by the Commission for discussion. The full document is available below.

Mercy urged for child charged in Jakarta murder

by Ronna Nirmala & Arientha Primanita in the Jakarta Globe: The National Commission for Child Protection on Wednesday said it was working hard to save a 10-year-old boy, suspected of having stabbed and beaten his adoptive mother to death, from serving up to 15 years in jail. East Jakarta Police investigators have said the child, who is originally from Nias and is an orphaned survivor of the 2004 tsunami in Aceh, may face charges for violating the 2004 law on domestic violence.