Restorative Justice Essay

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Examine two ‘areas of youth justice practice’, one that you know well and another with which you are less familiar and answer the following question: In an overhaul of the system, would you keep this area of work or would you abandon it? Discuss each of the two areas in terms of at least two of the following: importance, purpose and effectiveness of the area of work. This assignment discusses assessment, planning interventions and supervision as the area of youth justice practice that is less familiar to me and restorative justice as an area more familiar, in terms of importance, purpose and effectiveness and whether I would keep or abandon these areas of work. The area of youth justice practice which I am more familiar with is Restorative Justice, which is an important area of practice as it seeks to balance the aim of preventing offending by children and young people with meeting the needs of the victims ((3)Youth Justice Board, 2003:p7). Restorative justice involves a different approach to that of other interventions as effectiveness focussing on victim satisfaction along with the rates of recidivism (Stephenson, et al. 2007:p166) The important aims and outcomes of restorative justice described by the Youth Justice Board are: ➢ The satisfaction of victims with the intention of reducing the fear of crime and victims feeling that they have been compensated in some way for the harm and distress suffered. ➢ The engagement with the young person to make sure that they understand the consequences of their behaviour, the opportunity to consent and repair the harm caused ➢ Increasing the confidence and their involvement of the public in the criminal justice system (Stephenson, et al. 2007:p162). Restorative Justice has been embedded since the reformation of the Youth Justice System in 1998, as evidence implies that this area of work
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