The Glade 4.0 :: View topic - Restorative Justice?

To deal with young criminals, Northern Ireland has been experimenting with something they call the “Youth Conference.” Instead of sending kids who commit assault, theft, or “motoring offences” to a prison, the government sends them to a meeting. There, the young troublemaker is asked to give an account of the offense, and the victim, who is usually present, is invited to ask questions and describe the effects of the crime. Then they decide, together, with the help of a professional coordinator, on a “plan” to make things right. This usually means doing unpaid restorative work and giving a face-to-face apology.

You might think this lets wayward teens off easy if all they have to do is apologize and do a little manual labor. But a new report (.pdf) on the effectiveness of these Youth Conferences just came out and the results are remarkable:

More than 5,500 meetings between victims and offenders have taken place in Northern Ireland since 2003…. Some 38% of 10 to 17 year olds participating in the scheme in Northern Ireland in 2006 re-offended within a year, compared to 71% of those given custodial terms. The percentage of those re-offending where restorative justice was used instead of a prosecution was 28%.

In a report, the PRT said many victims were found to prefer the experience of participating in a restorative justice meeting to attending court.

In Northern Ireland, this system has turned out to be better than prison in every way. It reduces recidivism, saves the public the expense of locking a kid up, and victims actually like it better. There’s now talk of expanding the system to England and Wales.

We should be adopting this approach in America—and expanding it to other kinds of crime as well. Our prison system is at a breaking point and revenge is overrated.

Author:	LadyKate [ Thu Nov 12, 2009 12:11 pm ]
Post subject:	Restorative Justice?
Never heard of it until this brief article: http://www.good.is/post/is-saying-sorry-better-than-prison/?gt1=48001 Quote: To deal with young criminals, Northern Ireland has been experimenting with something they call the “Youth Conference.” Instead of sending kids who commit assault, theft, or “motoring offences” to a prison, the government sends them to a meeting. There, the young troublemaker is asked to give an account of the offense, and the victim, who is usually present, is invited to ask questions and describe the effects of the crime. Then they decide, together, with the help of a professional coordinator, on a “plan” to make things right. This usually means doing unpaid restorative work and giving a face-to-face apology. You might think this lets wayward teens off easy if all they have to do is apologize and do a little manual labor. But a new report (.pdf) on the effectiveness of these Youth Conferences just came out and the results are remarkable: More than 5,500 meetings between victims and offenders have taken place in Northern Ireland since 2003…. Some 38% of 10 to 17 year olds participating in the scheme in Northern Ireland in 2006 re-offended within a year, compared to 71% of those given custodial terms. The percentage of those re-offending where restorative justice was used instead of a prosecution was 28%. In a report, the PRT said many victims were found to prefer the experience of participating in a restorative justice meeting to attending court. In Northern Ireland, this system has turned out to be better than prison in every way. It reduces recidivism, saves the public the expense of locking a kid up, and victims actually like it better. There’s now talk of expanding the system to England and Wales. We should be adopting this approach in America—and expanding it to other kinds of crime as well. Our prison system is at a breaking point and revenge is overrated. I like it.

Author:	Talya [ Thu Nov 12, 2009 1:06 pm ]
Post subject:
That's awesome.

Author:	Khross [ Thu Nov 12, 2009 2:07 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Restorative Justice?
http://www.amazon.com/Crime-Shame-Reint ... 0521356687

Author:	Rorinthas [ Thu Nov 12, 2009 8:10 pm ]
Post subject:
If it works, do it.

Author:	Aizle [ Fri Nov 13, 2009 10:47 am ]
Post subject:
It's great to see this making headway and being effective.

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Author:	Hopwin [ Fri Nov 13, 2009 10:50 am ]
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Hmmm... so if a teen vandalizes my home I could request that they come over and repaint it? Not sure how I feel about that. Should the government be able to make you an indentured servant to a private citizen even if it is temporarily so?

Author:	LadyKate [ Fri Nov 13, 2009 11:09 am ]
Post subject:	Re:
Hopwin wrote: Hmmm... so if a teen vandalizes my home I could request that they come over and repaint it? Not sure how I feel about that. Should the government be able to make you an indentured servant to a private citizen even if it is temporarily so? I hardly think that making amends constitutes indentured servitude, Hopwin. Khross: have you read that book already?

Author:	Corolinth [ Fri Nov 13, 2009 12:24 pm ]
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Said teenager is painting his house without pay. That is, by definition, indentured servitude. Painting it with flowery language by calling it "making amends" does not change that.

Author:	Talya [ Fri Nov 13, 2009 12:29 pm ]
Post subject:	Re:
Hopwin wrote: Should the government be able to make you an indentured servant to a private citizen even if it is temporarily so? Yes. The simple fact is the punishment should, to the extent possible, make restitutions to the victims. This is sorely missing from the justice system. A thief should have to work to pay back that which he stole, with punitive damages on top of it. A vandal should be forced to fix (or pay for the fix) for what they vandalized. Locking them up in a prison cell for a few years costs the taxpayer money, doesn't help the victim, and just makes the offender more likely to offend when they get out. The current system really doesn't work.

Author:	Mookhow [ Fri Nov 13, 2009 12:31 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Restorative Justice?
Since everyone loves Wikipedia as a source: Quote: An indentured servant is a laborer under contract to an employer for a fixed period of time, typically three to seven years, in exchange for their transportation, food, clothing, lodging and other necessities. Unlike a slave, an indentured servant is required to work only for a limited term specified in a signed contract. It's not under contract, it's not a fixed period of time, and it's not in exchange for any sort of necessities. It'd be more akin to slavery than servitude, since it's not voluntary. I don't think it's slavery though; I'd consider it targeted community service.

Author:	shuyung [ Fri Nov 13, 2009 12:33 pm ]
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It somewhat depends on where you want to draw the line. Requirements for rehabilitation and remuneration are valid as a result of a legal judgment.

Author:	Corolinth [ Fri Nov 13, 2009 12:35 pm ]
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It is a fixed period of time - until the damage is repaired. We don't know what, exactly, that time period will be, but it is fixed.

Author:	Kaffis Mark V [ Fri Nov 13, 2009 12:48 pm ]
Post subject:
The article seems to imply it's a voluntary option. The victim is "invited" and they work towards a resolution. Presumably, if the victim declines, or the offender refuses to come to an agreement, it goes back to the court system. Thus, I don't think it's slavery. And frankly, there's nothing wrong with indenture systems. I wouldn't mind bringing back debtor's prisons, either.

Author:	Rafael [ Fri Nov 13, 2009 12:54 pm ]
Post subject:	Re:
Kaffis Mark V wrote: I wouldn't mind bringing back debtor's prisons, either. We need these like like Tyrone Biggins needs his next crack hit.

Author:	Serienya [ Sun Nov 15, 2009 8:47 am ]
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Normally, restitution is monetary in nature. To me, simply giving a cash payment to the victim (or having your parents pay for you) does not teach them a lesson. I think if they actually had to do something in such cases, they'd learn more from the experience.

Author:	shuyung [ Mon Nov 16, 2009 2:17 pm ]
Post subject:
Whoa, whoa, maybe we should rethink this. That will potentially develop the martial arts reflexes of juvenile delinquents without the influence of Mr. Miyagi. That sounds like a bad idea.

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Author:	Taamar [ Mon Nov 16, 2009 12:32 am ]
Post subject:	Re:
Hopwin wrote: Hmmm... so if a teen vandalizes my home I could request that they come over and repaint it? Not sure how I feel about that. Should the government be able to make you an indentured servant to a private citizen even if it is temporarily so? Given that the government has the right to make you a prisoner under those circumstances, sure. To make it really fair maybe we can ask the kid "So, do you want to do time in a juvenile prison, or would you rather paint the house?".

Author:	Diamondeye [ Mon Nov 16, 2009 6:56 pm ]
Post subject:	Re:
Hopwin wrote: Hmmm... so if a teen vandalizes my home I could request that they come over and repaint it? Not sure how I feel about that. Should the government be able to make you an indentured servant to a private citizen even if it is temporarily so? They're not. They're making you an indentured servant to the government and ordering you to perform labor for a private citizens.