Restorative Justice in Young Adult Courts
The Use of Restorative Justice in Mitigating Young Adult Criminal Offenses
Three core concepts of Restorative Justice:
- Holding Offenders Accountable
- Repairing Harm to Victims
- Providing Support for Reintegration into the Community
This new concept is being trialed in several courts throughout the United States.
Young Adults (ages 18-25) are often referred to as emerging adults. We know that in the Criminal Justice System, juvenile offenders are afforded consideration based on their development, not only physically but also emotionally and cognitively. This category of offenders should also be treated as a separate group. Psychologists, physicians, and scientists have recognized the differences these young adults present concerning how they are intersectionally involved with the criminal justice system. Young adults have yet to fully form the cognitive or emotionally necessary development to appreciate the consequences of their impulsive actions. Innovative courts are responding to these theories and developing alternative methods of accountability.
One example is the Restorative Community Court in Cook County, Nevada. Participants must meet the following criteria:
- Be 18 to 26
- Have been charged with a nonviolent felony or misdemeanor
- Live, work or worship in one of the neighborhoods which has a community court
- Have a nonviolent criminal history
- Accept responsibility for the harm caused
“Twenty-nine young men and women now have clean slates after graduating from a six to nine-month-long program teaching participants conflict resolution and job skills. It even provides emotional support for overcoming trauma.” (Chicago, 2022)
This Program allows young people a chance to have a fresh start in an already stacked world. I am dedicated to spreading the word about such initiatives and hope to bring such ideas to my office.
Chicago, E. N. (2022, June 29). Cook County Restorative Justice Program Offers Second Chance for young, Nonviolent Offenders.
Deborah Sonagere December 8, 2022
2 comments
Hi Sonagere, I did a paper about this for one of my summer classes. It is a necessary step to take. We are risking a life of future incarceration and crime when we do not offer opportunities to young adults, and it is great to see that some courts must make the right decisions.
Hi Deb,
The idea of Restorative Justice in Young Adult Courts is a wonderful idea for those who qualify, as they are not fully developed yet and may not understand the full impact of their crime until they begin the court process. One can only imagine looking at the prospect of having a criminal charge on their background, which could potentially lead to more illegal behavior due to a sense of hopelessness. These types of courts that allow the young adults to complete this program not only affords them the skills to avoid this type of situation again in the future, it also allows them to have a clean slate and hopefully to have learned from the experience so as not to offend again. Very informative!
Jen
Comments are closed.