NCJ Number
180016
Journal
Current Issues in Criminal Justice Volume: 10 Issue: 2 Dated: November 1998 Pages: 138-155
Date Published
1998
Length
18 pages
Annotation
This article reports on a pilot program implementing restorative justice and community conferencing.
Abstract
The pilot program was established in three Queensland jurisdictions on April 1, 1997. This paper reports primarily on the perceptions and experiences of program participants. It includes a summary of the literature on restorative justice, highlighting the theoretical underpinnings of various alternative responses to crime. It reviews illustrative programs and emphasizes the dearth of sound empirical evidence regarding the effects of various restorative initiatives. The paper summarizes the results of surveys collected from conference participants in the Queensland pilot. The Queensland Community Conferencing initiative was successful with regard to the core goal of victim-offender reparation. Participation satisfaction levels in many cases were above common international standards of best practice. Program results do not shed light on the deterrent effects of community conferencing in that no reliable re-offending data were available for young offenders processing through the program. Notes, tables, references