NCJ Number
82718
Date Published
1981
Length
24 pages
Annotation
The report summarizes the results of the juvenile restitution program in Ada County, Idaho, for the 31 months ending in September 1981.
Abstract
The program was one of six sites throughout the United States which were chosen for an intensive evaluation. Project goals were to reduce the numbers of incarcerated youths, to reduce recidivism, and to provide redress in relation to the loss suffered by victims. Additional goals were to increase the youthful offenders' senses of responsibility and accountability, community confidence in the juvenile justice process, and knowledge about the feasibility of restitution for juveniles. Restitution plans were developed for 855 of the 1,077 juveniles referred to the program. The court ordered 633 youths to make restitution in the form of monetary compensation, community service, or direct victim service. About four-fifths of the offenders complied completely with the restitution requirements. The numbers of youths in the program fell short of the projected number of 1,550 because of the excessive optimism of the origianl estimate and the Federal policy change preventing incarcerated youth from participating in the program. The youths were assigned an average of 35.5 hours of upaid community service, $223 in monetary compensation, or 19.9 hours of victim service. The cost per youth ordered to make restitution of any type was $290 After the elimination of incarcerated youths from the program, the remaining youths served an average of 1.6 days in detention, compared to about 5 days for all juvenile offenders. The program did not affect the district's arrest rate. Recidivism data were not available. Data from exit questionnaires returned from victims showed that victims were overwhelmingly in favor of the program. All the data collected to date also indicate the feasibility of restitution for juveniles in this district. The county hired two full-time restitution officers and a restitution secretary when Federal funding expired. Attachments present program statistics, the victim questionnaire, and results from this questionnaire.