There are a vast number of specific restorative justice interventions that have been developed and implemented into the legal system, including circles of accountability, family group conferencing, and community panels. This web site focuses on two of the most prominent restorative justice programs:
MODELS OF JUVENILE JUSTICE
- Victim-offender mediation (VOM) and circle sentencing predominantly fall under the restorative model of juvenile justice. These interventions put a large emphasis on the harm and suffering that was caused by the crime, both to the victim and community. In VOM and circle sentencing, a major topic discussed is the impact of the crime on the victim, community, and the offender.
- Following the restorative model, VOM and circle sentencing also aim to prevent the re-occurrance of crime, in an effort to reduce the amount of future harm that will occur. A huge focus of victim-offender mediation and circle sentencing interventions is understanding the underlying/mitigating factors concerning the crime, to better comprehend why the crime took place, and to be able to reduce the likelihood of similar crimes occurring again. Completion of these interventions has been empirically demonstrated to reduce the likelihood of the participating offenders receding to criminal behaviour (Nugent, Umbreit, Wiinamaki, & Paddock, 2001; Potas, Smart, Brignell, Thomas, & Lawrie, 2000).
- The main objective of VOM and circle sentencing programs is the reparation of harm caused by the offender's actions, along with coming to a peaceful resolution between the victim, offender, and community. In these programs, all parties have an equal opportunity to participate and say what they would like. Participation is also voluntary, so offenders are not forced to take part in these intervention
- Because VOM and circle sentencing programs are concerned with the well-being of an offender along with his/her personal needs, aspects of the welfare model of juvenile justice are also present in these interventions
TARGETED POLICIES FOR INDIVIDUAL YOUTH
- Because they deal with individual juvenile offenders, victim-offender mediation and circle sentencing are both targeted policies for individual youth. VOM and circle sentencing interventions aim to recognize and acknowledge the individual barriers that have led to the youth offending.
- By developing plans of restitution through dialogue and discussion, juvenile offenders are able to gain support from their community, overcoming these barriers and modifying their behaviour while simultaneously compensating the victim in some manner.