Effectiveness of Restitution as a Sole Sanction and as a Condition of Probation - Results from an Experiment in Oklahoma County

• NCJ Number: 96620
• Author(s): A L Schneider; P R Schneider
• Date Published: 1984
• Length: 21 pages
• Grant Number(s): 77-NI-99-0005; 79-JN-AX-0009; 82-JS-AX-0025
• Sponsoring Agency: National Institute of Justice (NIJ); US Securities and Exchange Cmssn; US Dept of Justice NIJ Pub
• Corporate Author: Institute of Policy Analysis
• Sale Source: NCJRS Photocopy Services
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Program/Project Evaluation
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

The Oklahoma County juvenile court was one of six selected from throughout the United States to participate in a major national experiment involving the use of restitution as a sanction for juvenile delinquents. This study evaluates the program's effectiveness.

Abstract

Oklahoma county was selected because its approach to restitution emphasized accountability and individual responsibility by the offender and because they were one of only a handful of courts interested in using restitution as sole sanction rather than as a condition of probation. The experiment involved comparsisons among three groups: sole sanction restitution, restitution and probation, and a control group comprised of juveniles who were on probation but for whom no restituion requirements were made. The results of the experiment indicate that youths who were given restitution as a sentence, without the usual probationary requirements or supervision, were generally as successful in completing the restitution requirements as were those who also participated in a probationary program. Furthermore, the results showed that there were no differences in recidivism among the three groups which indicates that restitution, when imposed as a sole condition on the delinquent, is no more and no less effective than probationary requirements. (Author abstract modified)