Youth Restorative Justice in Courts: Program Evaluation and Tempe Municipal Court Proposal

Juvenile restorative justice has become an increasingly common alternative to punitive justice in recent decades. This project evaluates best practices and strategies that have been effective in reducing recidivism while upholding the key tenets of restoration. The goal of this project is to compile a reference for best practices and recommendations for the implementation of a juvenile restorative justice program at the Tempe Municipal Court. Through a comparison of two court-based restorative programs in the United States and a compilation of relevant research, a recommendation of Circle Conferencing is appropriate for the needs of the Tempe Municipal Court.