As an expert on juvenile justice, you have been asked to review and revise a proposed...

Transcribed Image Text:

As an expert on juvenile justice, you have been asked to review and revise a proposed court-based restorative justice program. The administrator sends you the fol- lowing proposal: In cases where an offender has admitted to the act, the judge can, at his or her discretion, offer the adolescent the choice of either the normal course of justice or participation in the community reparation project. At this point the court adjourns for approximately 30 minutes while the probation officer explains the project to the offender. If the offender decides to participate in the project, a meeting will be called in the near future. This meeting is always attended by the youth, two panel members representing the community, the police officers involved in the case, and the proba- tion officer. If the delinquent acts involve victims, they are also invited to attend the meeting, although their participation is not mandatory. At the meeting, offenders are asked to explain the circumstances of the offense, why it happened, how they felt about it then, and how they feel about their actions now. Together, the group decides how the offender might make reparation to the victim and/ or the community for the damage caused by the offense. Once agreement is reached about the form of the reparation, a contract is drawn up that sets out treat- ment courses the offender will be expected to take (e.g., treatment for alcoholism, substance abuse, anger management), Reparation may include letters of apology to the victim, restitution, and other pro- portionate and appropriate activities. Contracts generally cover a period of approximately six months and are monitored by the probation offi- cer. If the terms of the contract are successfully com- pleted, the record of the offense will be dropped. If the terms are not met, the case will go back to the juvenile court and proceed in the normal manner. As a delinquency expert, what is your take on the proposed program? How do you think the program should handle kids who fail to complete the restoration bargain? Are there any other approaches you would try with these kids? As an expert on juvenile justice, you have been asked to review and revise a proposed court-based restorative justice program. The administrator sends you the fol- lowing proposal: In cases where an offender has admitted to the act, the judge can, at his or her discretion, offer the adolescent the choice of either the normal course of justice or participation in the community reparation project. At this point the court adjourns for approximately 30 minutes while the probation officer explains the project to the offender. If the offender decides to participate in the project, a meeting will be called in the near future. This meeting is always attended by the youth, two panel members representing the community, the police officers involved in the case, and the proba- tion officer. If the delinquent acts involve victims, they are also invited to attend the meeting, although their participation is not mandatory. At the meeting, offenders are asked to explain the circumstances of the offense, why it happened, how they felt about it then, and how they feel about their actions now. Together, the group decides how the offender might make reparation to the victim and/ or the community for the damage caused by the offense. Once agreement is reached about the form of the reparation, a contract is drawn up that sets out treat- ment courses the offender will be expected to take (e.g., treatment for alcoholism, substance abuse, anger management), Reparation may include letters of apology to the victim, restitution, and other pro- portionate and appropriate activities. Contracts generally cover a period of approximately six months and are monitored by the probation offi- cer. If the terms of the contract are successfully com- pleted, the record of the offense will be dropped. If the terms are not met, the case will go back to the juvenile court and proceed in the normal manner. As a delinquency expert, what is your take on the proposed program? How do you think the program should handle kids who fail to complete the restoration bargain? Are there any other approaches you would try with these kids?

Answer rating: 100% (QA)

The proposed courtbased restorative justice program outlined in the administrators proposal has several merits and aligns with the principles of resto... View the full answer