Alice Chapman Director Youth Conference Service, Youth Justice Agency W.W.W III What works, when, why ?

What makes an rj intervention work mapping the change pathway planning for a change pathway action plan for effectiveness

Youth Conference Service; statutory restorative justice What we do ; referral process Criteria for referral What happens after a referral; -Preparation -The conference, who can attend -What is permitted to be in a youth conference plan -Post conference monitoring

Mapping the change pathway Traditional pathway ; [ directed by past events] Offence Y J Agencies Offender Restorative youth justice ; [directed by future events] Victim network Social network Child/offender network Social and family network Justice agencies

Change pathway

Managing change with young people c ompass of Shame ( Nathanson) [in the traditional yjs]

Traditional retributive model

Young Person Responsible adult Police officer victim supporters Other professionals Others deemed As appropriate The youth conference

Role of shame in the youth conference Shame is a critical regulator of human behaviour An individual does not have to do something wrong to feel shame Victims often feel a strong sense of shame even though the offender did the ‘shameful act’

What young people and victims say about a youth conference 8/10 would recommend it to other young people They felt embarrassed and ashamed 9/10 made an apology 8/10 youth conference plans had an element of reparation agreed with the victim Good range of clear promotional materials Youth conferences are victim centric 8/10 would recommend it to other victims Liked ability of directly assessing remorse 8/10 preferred the youth conference to the traditional process

Action plan for effectiveness Becoming a ‘world class service’; Project management plan ;project board, pilot introduction and evaluate Legislation for a statutory, mandatory authority Resources Skilled, trained facilitators Victim centred model Available for all offences except the most trivial A whole youth rj paradigm,not as an alternative and linked to a diversionary restorative model

What we do well and could do better We do well ; Victim participation Victim satisfaction Indirect victim participation Confidence from the PPS and courts Contributing to public safety Wide ranging reparative activity Achieve conferences for ALL types of offences Highly skilled workforce Court reports restorative justice centred Completing youth conference within specified referral period We could do better More direct restorative reparation Too may trivial offence referrals[ what is trivial ?] Challenge of repeat youth conferences for recidivists Poor rate of participation of extended family

What works for us Preparation,preparation Training Good motivational interviewing skills of youth conference coordinators Understanding Nathanson, community development theory, youth work theory and adolescent psychology Management actions for pressure on resources Promotional awareness on all levels for users, stakeholders the public Regular consultations with stakeholders Management monitoring system

So what makes an rj intervention work mapping the change pathway planning for a change pathway action plan for effectiveness success outcomes; victim confidence in yjs young people participation rates, reconviction, victim participation, legislation implemented