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- Strehorn, Molly Ryan. Restorative Probation in Franklin County, Massachusetts: A Qualitative Evaluation
- In Franklin County, MA, Restorative Probation, which began in 1996 serving residents of the county through the courts, is a partnership program under the Reinventing Justice Project. Restorative Probation is an alternative rehabilitation program in which offenders meet with a group of community volunteers, the victim, and anyone else impacted by the crime. Restorative justice is used around the world to heal the relationships damaged by crime. With the main goal of restorative work to heal relationships damaged by crime, it is extremely difficult to measure its outcomes through evaluation. Since its inception in 1996, Restorative Probation has not had a formal assessment. This qualitative evaluation of Restorative Probation concentrates on the impact that the program has on offenders. A survey was utilized which concentrated on the probationers who successfully completed the program in the past 4 years. The evaluation indicates that the program is making great strides in the process of healing the relationships damaged by crime. The key values provide a solid framework for programs such as Restorative Probation to offer holistic approaches to community justice. The implementation of the Reinventing Justice project in Franklin County shows strong community activism and willingness on the part of the civic leaders to try new methods. Recommendations were presented on ways to improve Restorative Probation. Abstract courtesy of National Criminal Justice Reference Service, www.ncjrs.org.
- Littlechild, Brian. An Evaluation of the Implementation of a Restorative Justice Approach in a Residential Unit for Young People in Hertfordshire: Final Report
- This evaluation of the introduction of a restorative justice (RJ) approach in a young person's residential unit was undertaken at the request of the Hertfordshire Youth Justice Service. Staff at Hertfordshire County Council Children School and Families Service's Stanfield residential young person's unit had agreed to be trained in, and implement, a RJ approach when dealing with problematic and/or criminal behaviour exhibited by residents. It was agreed that the independent evaluator would conduct interviews with staff and young people in order to examine how attitudes and practice changed between the pre-introduction period and six months afterwards. Nine staff were interviewed prior to the introduction of RJ, and six staff six months afterwards, utilizing semi-structured interview schedules. Two group sessions with staff were led by the evaluator, one in the unit for younger residents and one in the unit for older residents. The group sessions took place six months after the implementation, and focussed upon the effects and processes of the implementation of the RJ approach, and allowed substantial periods of time to explore the issues raised in the individual semi-structured interviews. At the end of the implementation period, two interviews with young people took place; one within the younger person's unit, and the other within the older young person's unit. Rates of recorded police call outs, and incidents recorded within the establishment, were also examined. (excerpt)
- O'Dwyer, Kieran. A program of restorative cautioning by the police in the Republic of Ireland
- This paper presents an overview of findings from recent and current evaluations of restorative justice initiatives for young offenders in the Garda Siochána, the national police service of the Republic of Ireland. The restorative interventions are of two kinds, both of which occur under the Garda Juvenile Diversion Programme. The first involves the victim in formal cautions and offers the possibility of apology and reparation. The second provides for family conferences that operate in much the same way as restorative cautions but go on to discuss the offending behaviour in more depth and develop action plans to avoid a recurrence. The paper addresses the place of the initiatives in the Irish criminal justice system and presents relevant results from evaluations of 83 cases. Among the issues raised are: case selection (criteria, suitability, barriers to greater use), the voluntary nature of participation and the type of outcomes achieved. Author's abstract.
- Miers, David and et al. Exploratory Evaluation of Restorative Justice Schemes
- This report presents the results of a 15-month study of the effectiveness of seven British restorative justice (RJ) schemes conducted between December 1999 and June 2000, two of them dealing primarily with adult offenders and the other five with juveniles. The objectives of the research were to identify which elements, or which combination of elements, in RJ schemes were most effective in reducing crime and at what costs, as well as to provide recommendations on the content of and best practice for schemes to be mainstreamed. Following an initial feasibility study, fieldwork for the main body of the research began in December 1999. The main elements of the fieldwork were the collection of descriptive information about the schemes' status, history, philosophy, policies, and practices; and the collection and analysis of process and output data about the practical operation of schemes, the impacts of the schemes, data relevant to measuring outcomes, and data relevant to the determination of cost-effectiveness. The schemes evaluated were diverse in their understanding of the notion of "restorative Justice," their degree of focus on victims and offenders, and their implementation of the interventions which they undertook. The schemes were also fragile in being vulnerable to funding cuts, and they were often dependent on intensive labor commitments by small numbers of exceptionally committed individuals. Even at the times when they were receiving substantial numbers of referrals, most schemes made unambiguously "restorative" interventions in relatively few cases. Victims who had experienced some form of restorative justice were broadly favorable toward the concept, appreciating the opportunity to express their views and experience some restoration based on offender action.
- Restorative Practices and Reoffending
- Recently, a short article in The Report (1) questioned Canada's use and support of restorative justice programmes. The article quoted a claim in the May issue of Canadian Lawyer that after five years of use there was no proof that restorative justice programmes work. However, recent research has demonstrated that restorative justice programs do in fact reduce recidivism.
- Restorative Justice Theory and Practice: Mind the Gap!
- Theo Gavrielides, a researcher at the London School of Economics, recently completed a qualitative investigation of possible discrepancies between the implementation of restorative justice practices and the development of restorative justice theory.
- Transforming Attitudes Towards Offending
- The Sycamore Tree Project® is an in-prison programme bringing unrelated victims and offenders together for conversations about crime. The programme allows them to reflect together on the consequences of crime and the steps needed to address the harm that has resulted.
