Juvenile Justice the Restorative Way

When juveniles commit an offense, the police reports are sent to the County Attorney’s office.  The County Attorney may refer the case to restorative justice if it meets the appropriate criteria.  This includes the level of offense and the status of the offender who must usually be a first time offender.  The County Attorney forwards the police reports detailing the incident that occurred, and any appropriate information on the case to the Restorative Justice Council for processing in the restorative way.  The case manager creates an office file and a request is sent out asking trained volunteers to facilitate the case.  Both the victim(s) and the offender(s) receive letters informing them that a facilitator will contact them to set up an appointment for a pre-conference and explain the process and options available.

The facilitators then receive their packets, which include the police report and personal contact information for the offenders and the victims, as well as surveys, and other paperwork needed to complete the case.  The facilitators set up separate meetings to discuss the offender’s and victim’s versions of what happened the day of the offense, and the experiences of all involved in the situation.  This is the Pre-Conference.  Those who agree to go through the restorative process by working to repair the harm go on to the Conference, which includes both offenders and victims.  The other option for those who choose not to participate in the restorative justice process is for the offender to face a judge in County Court. 

During the Pre-Conference and the Conference, every attempt is made to help the offender understand the harm he/she caused to the victim and/or the community.  This is done through calm reasoning and the sharing of values such as the Golden Rule.  An agreement is made between the victim and offender on how to repair the harm done.  A letter of apology and community work service is a couple of ways this can be accomplished.  The goals of the Restorative Justice process are to restore not only harm to property, but to relationships between offenders, victims and other community members through proper understanding and acceptance of responsibility for actions, words and attitudes.