Restitution in Juvenile Justice - Issues in the Evolution and Application of the Concept

• NCJ Number: 82405
• Author(s): T L Armstrong
• Date Published: 1981
• Length: 104 pages
• Grant Number(s): 79-JN-AX-0018
• Sponsoring Agency: US Securities and Exchange Cmssn
• Corporate Author: University of Chicago
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

The report provides a survey and an analysis of those aspects of restitution critical for assessing its usefulness in formally sanctioning juveniles' violative behavior. It covers historical issues, cross-cultural issues, philosophical and legal issues, and management issues in restitutive justice.

Abstract

Restitution is an ancient means for intervening with violative behavior. Its origins reside in the attempts of early societies to resolve disruptive situations by restoring equity to crime victims. The revival of interest in restitution has largely grown out of a concern for the rehabilitation of offenders as well as from the desire to provide reciprocity to victims, the only purpose of restitution historically. The Federal Government has supported current programming efforts in the area of juvenile restitution. A number of organizational, fiscal, and legal concerns must be addressed in order to successfully design and operate a restitution program. Admission criteria, victim/offender relations, development of the restitution plan, and case management are of concern. Problems these programs face are outlined, and recommendations about their planning, implementation, and operation are suggested. Chapter notes, descriptions of juvenile restitution programs, a list of programs involved in the national juvenile restitution initiative, sample program forms, program criteria, and about 150 references are appended.