Preventing Juvenile Recidivism

The Effectiveness of Restorative Justice Programs

The study’s objective is to investigate the effectiveness of restorative justice programs in reducing the rate of youth reoffending (Beven, Hall, Steels & Goulding, 2005). The study is justified because putting the method into practice is considered as having the opposite of a conviction in the retributive justice system. The approach tries to reduce youth recidivism rates in subtle ways. As an illustration, consider involving many stakeholders in the solution-building process, including the victim, the community, and the criminal. There is proof that the approach has produced successful results in the key areas (Rodriguez, 2007). Limitations of the research get put into consideration in addition to the recommendations for further studies.

An Eco-Systematic Model of Behavior

The area of youth offending has been of much interest from early days. A need arose to holistically view children which led to the exploration of an Eco systematic model of behavior. There was hence a growing belief on that people should consider various aspects from a wider system. In the field concerning youth offenses, there was the demand to study the dominant discourse of the judiciary, not appropriately lessening reoffending. When approaching the research from a constructive social perspective, there was the awareness on the discourses around juvenile delinquencies such as reoffending. Regarding that, the matter was to be taken care of by exploring constructions on the precise dialogue more. Findings were that restorative justice is not dissimilar in reducing recidivism than other involvements.

Delving into Other People’s Constructions

On a constructive social perspective, there was the necessity to delve more in other people constructions (Tuli, 2011). It would aid in coming up with successful justice programs which would be of help in averting recidivism. My ontological standpoint realizes the need to consider other peoples’ evaluations of different issues. On the other hand, my epistemological reality is that no research amount can unearth the whole truths (Tuli, 2011). However, a closer and concurring opinion can take shape when other individuals’ meanings get put into thought. There is the understanding that culture and language shape judgments made by people. Nevertheless, the factors are witnessing a rapid change than ever before. Individuals with knowledge on juvenile recidivism were consulted to obtain meaning made by a particular group. The move was to bring about realities and facts that can be generalized. Based on the research, it followed a social construct perspective as the most appropriate strategy. It is due to the uniqueness it offers to the setting.

A Naturalistic Setting for Research

The relevance of a naturalistic setting would be to avoid interference with the target group. In addition to that, it would avoid overlaps in the groups that get used interchangeably. A personal stake would come in place, which is essential in the research area. Also, a significant method would help adequately gather data and analyze it regarding the most successful restorative justice systems in averting re-offenses. The naturalistic setting allows limiting of control on the discussion that facilitates gaining of diverse opinions about the research question (Tuli, 2011).

Reflexivity in Research

On reflexivity, my personal values and beliefs shaped the debate and the research on top of the meaning brought about. Despite the availability of many ways to conduct the research, particular views were an essential consideration. Based on the belief that traits are as a result of the overall setting the juvenile is in, a bias to third parties took place in the discussion primarily. The youths were not involved. My ontological and epistemological beliefs shaped the need to acquire information through interviews (Tuli, 2011). It is not withstanding the realization of different life experiences regarding interpretations of the universe. The details collected get their influence from my understanding of a particular area. Analysis of the data was also from a personal dimension due to the knowledge of a particular field. In the course of time, my perceptions changed due to increased awareness. It allowed the involved parties come up with different interventions that would seem to tackle the matter conclusively.

Research Environment and Data Collection

The research would take place in an environment made up of legal managers. It’s because they play a crucial role in coming up with alternative restorative justice programs for juveniles. Data would primarily get collected through interviews which would involve brainstorming of ideas and concepts.

Research Question

The research question would be – what factors are crucial in enabling restorative justice interventions to avert juveniles from recidivism? The question would cover a broad area and assist in solving the recidivism problem among young people. Data collected would get analysis to establish key areas for consideration that would lead to proposing of a suitable model (Braun & Clarke, 2013). Recommendations for improvement would be put across to assist in bettering the study.

Impact of the Results in the Society

The study would support the community in uniting and working together towards empowering the youth. The consulted and combined effort would enable realizing the plight of young people and addressing them. The juveniles would get assistance in accepting their faults and learning how to overcome them through inclusion and unity. Moreover, there would be policy and mindset change geared towards embedding values vital in ensuring restorative approaches succeed.

Bibliography

Beven, J. P., Hall, G., Froyland, I., Steels, B., & Goulding, D. (2005). Restoration or Renovation? Evaluating restorative justice outcomes. Psychiatry, Psychology and Law, 12(1), 194-206.

The study tries to examine the viability of the method to determine its suitability. Ex-offenders took part in the process and were compared using outcome variables. Results subjectively indicated the success of the program upon variables associated with the criminal act. There was the argument of reduction in offending behaviors as a realistic outcome of the study. Finally, victims appreciated the process. Jaimie P. Beven, Guy Hall, Brian Steels and Dorothy Goulding represent the School of Law of Murdoch University, while Irene Froyland is a Centre for Police Research specialist from Edith Cowan University. Their professional skills will provide a credible overview on restorative justice consequences used to support the purpose statement.

Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2013). Successful qualitative research: A practical guide for beginners. Sage.

The article explicitly examines appropriate ways to undertake a successful qualitative research. It acts as a guide by providing a framework from conceptualization of the study till the determination of findings. Putting that into consideration, many strategies and theories get examined which provide a detailed account of how to go by and pull through a substantial research. Virginia Braun and Victoria Clarke are the winners of the 2014 Distinguished Publication Award (DPA) from the Association for Women in Psychology (AWP), which, thereby, makes their study credible. The article is informative and an eye opener on the expected standards for any study and the outline for conducting it.

Rodriguez, N. (2007). Restorative justice at work: Examining the impact of restorative justice resolutions on juvenile recidivism. Crime & Delinquency, 53(3), 355-379.

Restorative justice programs attempt to incorporate diverse stakeholders in the administration of justice. Despite their increase in popularity across many states, few studies seem to focus on them. The article examines juveniles in restorative programs in comparison to those in other groups using available data. Prior offenses plus gender impact on recidivism. Young offenders with few criminal records are most likely to be successful in the programs. Nancy Rodriguez is a Professor of School of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Arizona State and has received several grants conducting researched on restorative justice. The results highlight the necessity of considering additive and interactive effects in restorative justice studies and are thus useful for the research qualitative study.

Tuli, F. (2011). The basis of distinction between qualitative and quantitative research in social science: reflection on ontological, epistemological and methodological perspectives. Ethiopian Journal of Education and Sciences, 6(1).

The article takes a deeper look into methodological issues associated with research. A conceptual framework is introduced based on the two types of researches that are qualitative and quantitative. Later on, it discusses ontological and epistemological translating to specific methodological research that influences decisions. Differences in the research methodologies get examined to reflect them. Fekede Tuli is a scholar at Ambo University, delivering lectures in Pedagogy which makes source’s credibility of great significance for preventing juvenile recidivism research.