You are here: Home → Resources → Restorative Justice around the World → North America and the Caribbean → Evaluation

Evaluation

Up one level

Baffour, Tiffany D. Ethnic and Gender Differences in Offending Patterns: Examining Family Group Conferencing Interventions among At-Risk Adolescents.

This secondary study looked at the importance of ethnicity and gender in influencing the relationship between Family Group Conferencing and (FGC) recidivism. The FGC is a mediation procedure involving offenders, their families, and victims of their crimes in which outcomes of material and emotional restitution are sought. Offenders, randomly sampled to participate in a control or experimental group, were sampled via mail, telephone, and in-person interviews. Data from court records were utilized to obtain recidivism rates over an 18-month period. Multivariate analysis indicated a statistically significant difference between the re-arrest rates of FGC participants and non-participants. Female offenders were more likely to avoid arrest than their male counterparts. This study found that ethnicity was not a statistically significant indicator of re-arrest. The FGC has efficacy for juvenile offenders as (1) a cost-effective method to intervene with offenders in their own communities (2) provides alternatives to formal adjudication for vulnerable populations—females and people of color. (author's abstract)

Balfour, Gillian. Falling Between the Cracks of Retributive and Restorative Justice.

In 1996, the Canadian government introduced progressive sentencing law reforms that called for special consideration of the conditions in Aboriginal communities as legacies of colonialism and to limit the use of incarceration. At the same time, feminist-inspired law reforms sought compulsory criminalization and vigorous prosecution of gendered violence. Since that time, there has been a doubling of the rate of imprisonment of Aboriginal women, and gendered violence is three and a half times greater in Aboriginal communities. Using the sentencing decisions of two cases involving Aboriginal women convicted of manslaughter, the author explores the practice of law as a site of backlash and an appropriation of feminist-inspired antiviolence strategies. The author draws on feminist and critical race studies of restorative justice in the context of gendered violence to examine why the victimization–criminalization continuum has not been fully recognized in the practice of restorative justice. (author's abstract)

Cameron, Angela. Restorative Justice: A Literature Review

This literature review will examine whether current research shows restorative justice to be a safe, effective criminal justice response to cases of intimate partner violence in Canada. ‘Restorative justice’ will be defined in the literature review itself, through an examination of relevant literature and practice. ‘Intimate partner violence’ will be discussed as defined by British Columbia’s Violence Against Women in Relationships Policy (VAWIR). For the sake of brevity, the term ‘intimate violence’ will be used. The term “victim’ will refer generally to victims of crime, including crimes of intimate violence. The term ‘survivor’ will refer specifically to victims of crimes of intimate violence. The primary focus of this research paper will be on adults. Where available materials analyzing intersectionalities such as race, ethnicity, culture, (dis)ability, sexual orientation, age, and poverty will be included. Where there is a significant body of literature (for instance regarding Aboriginal peoples), a separate analysis will be included. (excerpt)

Cohen and Odgers, Candice and Glackman, William and Cohen and Ray Corrado. and Odgers, Candice. "Serious and Violent Young Offenders' Decisions to Recidivate: An Assesment of Five Sentencing Models

"Five models of sentencing were assessed with respect to their impact on the decisions of young offenders to recidivate. The five sentencing models tested were fairness, deterrence, chronic offender lifestyle, special needs, and procedural rights. A sample of 400 incarcerated young offenders from the Vancouver, British Columbia, metropolitan area were asked questions regarding their attitudes toward these sentencing models and their intentions to recidivate after serving a period of incarceration. Principal components analyses suggested that although these models do not function independently, two composite models do shed some light on the issues that young offenders consider when contemplating their decisions and intentions to recidivate. Despite the ability of these models to predict half of the explained variance in young offenders’decisions regarding recidivism, a majority of the sample appeared to not be affected exclusively by cost-benefit analysis, punishment, or reintegrative motivations. The authors conclude that without additional variables and even higher predictive validity, it is premature for policy makers to focus on any single model of sentencing in constructing juvenile justice laws." "Author's Abstract"

Collaborative Justice Project. Lessons Learned in the Collaborative Justice Project

The Collaborative Justice Project (CJP) is a demonstration project in the Judicial District of Ottawa-Carleton that began in September 1998. The aim of the project is to show how a restorative approach in cases of serious crime can deliver more satisfying justice to victims, offenders, and communities. It is an initiative of the Church Council on Justice and Corrections (CCJC), a Canadian coalition of faith-based individuals and churches advocating for a more humane way to practice criminal justice. This short document lists, with brief explanations, some chief lessons learned from the operation of the CJP. These lessons include, among others, the value of providing more information to victims, offenders, and communities; the need for much more public education about restorative justice; and a restorative model can work within the current justice system, however difficult it is to do so.

County of Santa Clara Family Conference Institute. Santa Clara Family Conference Model (FCM) Executive Summary

The Santa Clara family conference model (FCM) originated in 1996 as a response to the need for families to contribute to the improvement of safety and protection of children in their care. The Santa Clara FCM is a form of family group decision-making (FGDM); this FCM is an adaptation of prototypes from New Zealand and Oregon (USA). This document provides an overview of the principles and processes of FCM, as well as a summary of key findings from a four-year evaluation of Santa Clara’s FCM program. The findings cover perceptions about the Santa Clara FCM from staff members and family participants, and outcomes from FCM processes in the Santa Clara program.

Hipple, Natalie Kroovand and McGarrell, Edmund F. Family Group Conferencing and Re-Offending Among First-Time Juvenile Offenders: The Indianapolis Experiment.

In an assessment of treatment, this study examined prevalence patterns of reoffending among first-time juvenile offenders involved in family group conferences (FGC) in Indianapolis, IN.The results of the Indianapolis Restorative Justice Experiment using family group conferences (FGC) for first-time juvenile offenders were largely positive. The findings indicate that youths participating in FGC survive longer before being rearrested over a 24-month period. In addition, youths participating in conferences had significantly lower incidence rates. The results indicate the need for continued experimentation and study of the role of restorative justice practices and FGC in the justice system. Restorative justice processes and family group conferences in particular have become increasingly common in justice system practices across the world. In a family group conference, after admission of responsibility by the offender, they, the victim, and the supporters of both the offender and victim are brought together. They are brought together with a trained facilitator to discuss the incident and the harm brought to the victim. The FGC provides an opportunity for the victim to explain how they have been harmed and ask questions of the offender. This study addressed the reoffending among youths involved in FGC. Nearly 800 youths participated in the experiment and the cases were tracked for 24 months following their initial arrest. (Abstract courtesy of the National Criminal Justice Reference Service, www.ncjrs.gov).

Hughes, S and Schneider, A.. Victim-Offender Mediation: A Survey of Program Characteristics and Perceptions of Effectiveness

This survey of 240 juvenile justice organizations in the U.S. investigates the characteristics and effectiveness of victim-offender mediation. Mediation programs were most often governed by private/nonprofit organizations and received referrals primarily from the court or probation/intake officials. The majority of mediators were paid staff members who were almost always trained in mediation. The final contract usually involved monetary restitution to the victim, and this was monitored in most cases. Programs were not usually evaluated. In general, staff workers were less optimistic than program administrators in assessing the effectiveness of mediation, and more positive concerning the effects of incarceration and probation.

Kenney, J. Scott and Clairmont, Don. Using the Victim Role as both Sword and Shield : The Interactional Dynamics of Restorative Justice Sessions.

Recently, criminal justice professionals have advocated restorative justice as an alternative to traditional punitive practices. Extant research has not examined the strategic interpersonal dynamics between victims, offenders, supporters, and facilitators during restorative justice sessions. Our ethnographic study addresses this gap. Building on studies of emotion in reintegrative shaming, we explore how shaming emotions are dramaturgically mediated by the rhetorical use of victim roles. We suggest that this micropolitical shame management facilitates apparently meaningful outcomes, undermines them, or results in agreements based more on realpolitik than reintegration. Our data are derived from detailed field notes at 28 youth restorative justice sessions in a mid-sized Canadian city. Our findings reveal a different picture than the frequently idealized images of restorative justice, thus underscoring the need for further analysis in this important area of criminal justice. (author's abstract)

Lane, Jodi and Sehgal, Amber and Turner, Susan and Sehgal, Amber and Fain, Terry and Turner, Susan. Implementing "Corrections of Place" Ideas. The Perspectives of Clients and Staff.

Restorative justice has recently become popular among practitioners, but there have been few rigorous evaluations of programs. For approximately 5 years, Ventura County, California, probation staff and other local organizations worked together on the South Oxnard Challenge Project (SOCP), a juvenile probation program designed to implement Clear’s “corrections of place” (COP) ideas. The program is evaluated using a randomized experimental design and the results of surveys with youth clients, staff, and the youths’ caregivers regarding the effectiveness of the SOCP in reaching COP-related goals are reported. Results reflect that there were few differences between SOCP clients and routine probationers’ perceptions of their experiences. SOCP staff members were significantly more likely to believe they were reaching COP goals than were routine probation officers. Caregivers believed the SOCP was more helpful than routine probation.(author's abstract)

LeCroy and Milligan Associates, Inc.. Family Group Decision Making: Third Annual Evaluation Report

Used in child welfare contexts, family group decision making (FGDM) is a model and strategy for focusing on family strengths and capacity for change rather than on family problems and deficits. FGDM involves bringing together extended family members to develop a plan of safety and placement for children in families referred to child protective services. This document reports the results of a third-year evaluation of the Family Group Decision Making Program of the Arizona Department of Economic Security. The evaluation report includes a number of components: a description of the current legislative requirements in Arizona; a review of relevant literature; program implementation information based on surveys, site visits, and staff interviews; descriptive data; outcomes for participating families; and conclusions and recommendations based on the evaluation. Additionally, the report contains many appendices with program information, statistical data, and assessment tools underlying the evaluation.

Mandell, Deena and Sullivan, Nancy and Meredith, Grahame and Sullivan, Nancy. Family Group Conferencing: Final Evaluation Report

This document reports the final evaluation of a three-year pilot project of family group conferencing in Etobicoke. A collaborative effort of four child welfare organizations in Etobicoke and the Toronto area, the family group conferencing pilot lasted from October 1998 to April 2001. The aim was to establish a model of family group conferencing that would function successfully by providing good and effective child welfare services in the Toronto area. This report covers the following topics: background to the pilot project; the origins of family group conferencing; specifics of the structure of the Etobicoke Family Group Conferencing Project; the evaluation’s findings with respect to outcomes, benefits, challenges, and costs of the conferences; the development of a referral system; and projection of next steps for the project.

McCold, Paul and Wachtel, Benjamin. The Bethlehem Pennsylvania Police Family Group Conferencing Project

This is a report on the Bethlehem Pennsylvania Police Family Group Conferencing Project. First-time moderately serious juvenile offenders were randomly assigned either to formal adjudication or to a diversionary "restorative policing" process called family group conferencing. Police-based family group conferencing employs trained police officers to facilitate a meeting attended by juvenile offenders, their victims, and their respective family and friends, to discuss the harm caused by the offenderxe2x80x99s actions and to develop an agreement to repair the harm. Victim and offender participation is voluntary. The effect of the program was measured through surveys of victims, offenders, offenderxe2x80x99s parents and police officers and by examining outcomes of conferences and formal adjudication. Results are related to six questions about restorative policing. Findings include: 42% participation rate, 100% of conferences (n=67) reaching an agreement, 94% of offenders (n=80) fully complying with agreements, and participant satisfaction and sense of fairness exceeding 96%. Results suggests that recidivism was more a function of offenders choice to participate than the effects of the conferencing, per se. Violent offenders participating in conferences had lower rearrest rates than violent offenders declining to participate, but this was not true for property offenders.

McCold, Paul. Evaluation of a Restorative Milieu: Replication and Extension for 2001-2003 Discharges

The Community Service Foundation and Buxmont Academy operate eight school-day treatment programs, 16 residential group homes, a home and community supervision program and an intensive drug-and-alcohol treatment supervision program in southeastern Pennsylvania for adjudicated delinquent and at-risk youths. All of these programs utilize what are broadly termed "restorative practices." This researcher has coined the term "restorative milieu" because the culture comprised of many formal and informal restorative techniques and processes, not just isolated formal restorative justice interventions. This paper reports on the replication and extension of a previous evaluation, with a second wave of 858 day treatment discharges during school years 2001-02 and 2002-03. The original finding of a significant reduction in reoffending for youths participating three months or more in a CSF Buxmont Academy restorative environment was replicated with a new cohort of youths and was still evident for the original cohort at two years following discharge. (excerpt)

McCormick, Anna C. Confronting the Past and Building a Future: Peacemaking Circles in a Northern Canadian Community

The most significant changes in the administration of youth justice, based on a transformative philosophy, are occurring in First Nations communities, in response to a history of oppression, near-genocide, culture conflict with, and proven ineffectiveness of the Western criminal justice system. In efforts to reassert power and take responsibility for local issues, address crime and victimization, build community, revive traditional values, increase community capacity and self-sufficiency, create a healthier reality for future generations, and prepare for eventual self-government, one primarily First Nations community in the Yukon has developed and implemented peacemaking circles. This thesis is a result of field research conducted in this community. Based on participant observation and interviews with community justice practitioners, community members, justice personnel, young offenders and victims who have experienced peacemaking circles, it explores several individual, community, and system level challenges which may affect the potential of circles to accomplish objectives. The initiative operates within a community and political environment that is plagued by misinformation, skepticism, mistrust, resistance, apathy, dysfunctionality, power imbalances, state paternalism, and minimal ideological and financial support. Project evaluations cannot be imposed from the outside, before these issues have the opportunity to be addressed, or before the initiative has sufficient time to reach long-term objectives. Failure to address these and other issues could be devastating to the entire restorative justice movement, and doom communities to continued intervention by and subordination to an ineffective and oppressive retributive justice system. Author's abstract.

Northwest Institute for Children and Families. Connected and Cared For: Using Family Group Conferencing for Children in Group Care. Phase I: Retrospective Study, Evaluation Findings

In the child welfare system, children in residential treatment and group care facilities are the neediest. Cases for children in group care are among the most difficult to resolve. For these children – whether they will eventually live with their family again, or they will never live with their family again – family remains of great significance. Yet, for various reasons, their family is rarely included in case planning or intervention processes. Many, therefore, reach independence at age 18 with no family support network. In this context, the Northwest Institute for Children and Families studied and evaluated the effectiveness of family group conferencing (FGC) on behalf of high needs youth in residential care settings in Washington State. This document presents the Institute’s 'Phase One Evaluation' findings. These are results based on a retrospective study of a number of conferences for youth in group care placements between 1998 and 2001.

Pennell, Joan and Burford, Gale. Family Group Decision Making Project Outcome Report Summary.

In concept and practice, family group decision making (FGDM) aims to build partnerships among family, community, and government to protect children and adults and to promote their well being. Joan Pennell and Gale Burford in this document report on outcomes of a family group decision making demonstration project in Newfoundland and Labrador in Canada. They explain the need for research on outcomes, FGDM processes, and the research process and measures. All of this leads to summaries of actual outcomes of the FGDM project in Newfoundland and Labrador, including testimonials from participants in the project. Through a list of relevant publications, video tapes, and references on FGDM at the end of the document, Pennell and Burford provide additional resources for those interested in further research.

Pennell, Joan. Restorative Practices and Child Welfare: Toward an Inclusive Civil Society.

Child welfare systems in the United States are failing to include families in making plans, and this reduces their success in stabilizing children’s placements and promoting children’s well-being. A North Carolina study demonstrates how one restorative practice—family group conferencing (FGC)—advances family participation in child welfare planning. A sample of 27 conferences showed that the 221 family group members outnumbered the 115 service providers at the meetings. Family group members were usually satisfied with the conference process and decision and saw the plans as primarily reached through consensus, following a trusted leader, and bargaining. Satisfaction with the decision was reduced when bargaining was employed. Manipulation was more likely to occur when conference preparations were inadequate.(author's abstract)

Pfeifer, Jeffrey and Skakun, Kim. Regina Auto Theft Strategy: Process Evaluation.

In 2001-2002 various governmental agencies began a collaboration to reduce the incidence of young offender auto theft in Regina, Saskatchewan. The objectives are to reduce such theft through the following strategies: strict supervision and control of youth who are at risk of re-offending; a combination of enforcement and rehabilitation; and early intervention and education in crime and its consequences. The Saskatchewan Department of Corrections and Public Safety commissioned the Canadian Institute of Peace, Justice and Security to conduct a process evaluation of the Regina Auto Theft Strategy. In this document, the evaluators report their results of their evaluation in the following areas: an analysis of program foundations to establish original intent, goals, and philosophy; an analysis of the current goals, philosophies, and practices; a comparison of the original program to the current program; and the development and clear articulation of key measures.

Pranis, Kay. Restorative Justice in Minnesota and the USA: Implementation and Outcomes

Restorative justice is not a particular programme or a fixed set of practices. It is a framework for guiding our actions in large and small ways in every part of the justice system. Additionally, restorative justice places a high value on: 1) empowering those closest to the problem (including the offender) to design a specific solution tailored to the problem and 2) viewing every problem as an opportunity to learn. Consequently, fluid, flexible approaches are essential to maintain the spirit of restorative justice – to leave key decisions to the stakeholders and to continually incorporate new learnings. So, in many ways restorative justice is a journey, more than it is a destination. If the journey is guided by the principles and values of restorative justice, the destination may be one that no one anticipated, but it will be one that serves all the stakeholders. So, questions of implementation take a different form than in many other kinds of change in public systems. There is no single path toward a restorative vision. There is no blueprint with precise instructions for how to do it. The path must be responsive to the particular context of each community and to opportunities as they emerge and must always be rooted in the values of respect, self determination , mutual responsibility and inclusion. There are, however, conditions which increase the likelihood of success in implementation efforts. (excerpt)