Troubled Teens Resources

Restorative justice has a noble sound to it but it is yet to be seen if yet another hand-holding approach to juvenile delinquency will make much of a dent on teen age drug abuse or crime.

Restorative justice is premised on the idea that a criminal should not be prosecuted by the state, but, instead the state must work with the crtiminal. In addition the criminal, as much as possible, is expected to work directly with those whom they have victimized or harmed.

“The underlying premise is that people are actually happier, more cooperative and more likely to change if those in authority do things with them rather than to them or for them,” says Ted Wachtel, president of the International Institute for Restorative Practices, who brings restorative practices to group homes and schools.

In traditional criminal justice, victims and offenders become passive players in a system dominated by the courts, lawyers and judges. In restorative justice, they take center stage.

“In the process of focusing on the victim, you end up providing a way for the offender to make amends and be re-accepted back into society,” says Mike Gilbert, associate professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio Downtown Campus who teaches a course on restorative justice.”

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Many parents, no doubt, would rather see a gang banger or a chronic drug abuser placed in brat camps where the emotional and behavioral problems that precipitated their crimes be addressed with equal measures of discipline and education. However, claims are that restorative justice has been successful when applied to juvenile offenders for minor crimes.