NCJ Number
181381
Date Published
October 1998
Length
81 pages
Annotation
An evaluation of a restorative justice program operating in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada through the John Howard Society of Manitoba focused on the program from its beginning in October 1, 1993 to May 7, 1997.
Abstract
The Restorative Resolutions Project began as a demonstration project and tried to follow the restorative justice principles of redressing the harm to victims, encouraging community involvement in the criminal justice process, and managing the offender in the community. Eligibility requirements included a Crown recommendation of a custodial sentence of at least 6 months, a guilty plea, and the offender's willingness to follow a community-based corrections plan. The program design included an evaluation component. The program appeared to target prison-bound offenders, and the success rate compared favorably to a similar group of probationers. Results of the present evaluation revealed that the program was generally successful. Participants were more likely than regular probationers to make restitution to their victims and to have some form of community service in their supervision plans. The program also successfully targeted prison-bound offenders. Finally, the participants had significantly lower recidivism rates than the comparison groups in all but one analysis. Findings suggested that Restorative Resolutions is a relatively safe and viable option for supervising inmates in the community and promoting victim involvement in the justice process. Tables, figure, footnotes, appended table, and 39 references