4 Troubled Teens Blog

Juvenile offenders who work with mediators and make amends to their victims cut their chances of reoffending in half, according to a study of the juvenile system in Bridgeport, Connecticut.

• Donna Decker Morris of the University of New Haven found that juvenile cases that enter mediation are typically minor offenses, such as vandalism, disturbing the peace, and other misdemeanors.
  
• All parties have to agree to participate in the mediation process. Teenage offenders make amends by apologizing, performing community service, and so forth.
  
• They discuss what happened, why it happened, and how to prevent future incidences.
  
• The Morris study found that victims were more satisfied when they were part of the process.

Morris said that young people can feel like they are victims of society who are being unfairly treated, but mediation forces them to accept responsibility for what they have done.

"A lot of young people feel like the system is against them," she said, "so they see no need to change their behaviors."

Labels: juvenile crime, recidivism, mediation

Posted By: Aspen/CRC