Articles

The Introduction of Restorative Justice Approaches in Young People’s Residential Units

A critical evaluation

By Brian Littlechild and Helen Sender (February 2010)

The introduction of restorative justice approaches in young people’s residential units: a critical evaluation (PDF, 444KB) is a research report from the Centre for Community Research at the University of Hertfordshire and the NSPCC.

In 2000, Hertfordshire County Council’s Youth Justice and Children, Schools and Families (CSF) services successfully introduced restorative justice in one of its young people’s residential units. Following this introduction and its evaluation, this report looks at the widespread introduction in 2002 of restorative justice into all four of the county council’s young people’s residential units, including a home for children with disabilities.

Restorative justice was introduced as a way of dealing with interpersonal conflicts, as well as with residents’ criminal and anti-social behaviour. This report evaluates the influence of restorative justice on young people and staff, and their experiences of its effects as a means of dealing with residents’ criminal acts, anti-social behaviour and interpersonal conflicts. It also analyses the effect that its introduction had on police call-outs to the four residential units.

One of the key aims of the evaluation project was to analyse the impact of restorative justice on bullying. A previous evaluation had found that bullying was the most challenging form of antisocial behaviour for staff and young people to deal with.

Funding for the evaluation was provided by the NSPCC and the research was supported by Hertfordshire County Council and Hertfordshire Constabulary.

Full report

The introduction of restorative justice approaches in young people’s residential units: a critical evaluation (PDF, 444KB)

http://www.nspcc.org.uk/Inform/research/Findings/restorative_justice_wda72978.html


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