NCJ Number
118332
Date Published
1989
Length
13 pages
Annotation
Pre-court diversion for juvenile offenders in Exeter, Devon (England) is administered by the Joint Services Youth Support Team, composed of police officers, social workers, and probation officers.
Abstract
The team's reparation scheme evolved as one of the diversion programs. Categories of reparation and mediation involve the single victim, corporate victims, community-service reparation, and mediation of victim-offender disputes. The team, with the approval of the appropriate agencies, developed an extended range of cautions which can be given at different levels. Reparation can be considered in conjunction with an official caution or higher on the scale as an alternative to court. It is not generally considered when a person is being cautioned for the first time. The decision to use mediation as an integral part of the reparation scheme was based on the assumptions that mediation would facilitate effective communication, provide opportunity for the inclusion of juveniles' families, provide for conflict resolution in offenses against the person, and provide for input by agencies represented on the team. In discussing mediation in Exeter, this chapter focuses on the practical arrangements, mediation prerequisites, the mediation process, the referral path, and mediation for more serious offenses. Mediation issues and problems discussed include the time factor and nonattendance by the victim. Two case histories of mediation are provided. 1 table.