Impact of Restitution on Recidivism of Juvenile Offenders: Results From Five Experimental Studies

• NCJ Number: 116093
• Author(s): A L Schneider; P R Schneider
• Date Published: 1985
• Length: 65 pages
• Grant Number(s): 77-NI-99-0005; 79-JN-AX-0009; 82-JS-AX-0025
• Sponsoring Agency: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP)
• Corporate Author: Institute of Policy Analysis
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/; NCJRS Photocopy Services
• Publication Type: Program/Project Description
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

To assess the impact of juvenile restitution on recidivism, six studies were conducted as part of the national evaluation of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention initiative.

Abstract

In four of the studies, youth were randomly assigned to restitution or traditional dispositions. On the whole results are quite encouraging. Youths in the restitution groups never had higher recidivism rates than those in probation or detention conditions. In two of four studies, juveniles in restitution clearly had fewer subsequent recontacts with the court during the 2- to 3-year followup. Comparison of restitution with traditional probation in Georgia showed clear and consistent effects favoring restitution. Similarly, in Washington D.C. restitution cases had fewer subsequent offenses than probation cases. In Idaho, results comparing restitution with detention were inconclusive. While the restitution group generally did better, the differences may have been produced by chance rather than being true program effects. In Oklahoma, no differences were found between sole sanction restitution, restitution and probation, or traditional probation groups. In Wisconsin, a formal restitution program was clearly superior to an informal program both in terms of successful completion and recidivism rates. 6 tables, figures, and 35 references. (Author abstract modified)