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Journal Article Critique on The Effectiveness of Restorative Justice Programs in Reducing

Juvenile Recidivism

Shaquanna Edwards

Liberty University

September 18, 2025

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Journal Article Critique on The Effectiveness of Restorative Justice Programs in Reducing

Juvenile Recidivism

Introduction

Restorative justice (RJ) has become one of the most popular juvenile justice reforms over

the last several decades. In contrast to the conventional punitive interventions, RJ focuses on

harm remedies, promoting the responsibility of the offender, and reinforcing the relationship

with the community. Group conferencing has been one of its numerous practices which have

gained significant focus particularly in those jurisdictions which have needed more human and

effective options as opposed to incarceration of the youth. These conferences unite the offenders,

victims, family members, police, and other stakeholders to deliberate on the offense, its effects

and ways to improve. The article under critique examines the impact of conference attendance

and in particular the composition of conference attendees on the outcome of reoffending. This

research is relevant to the body of evidence because it concentrates on the higher-risk young

people, which tend to be underrepresented in previous assessments, and concentrates on the

subtle attributes of the program, including the role of secondary victims and police. In this

critique, I shall evaluate the purpose of the article, the theoretical assumptions, hypotheses, and

findings and place it into a wider context on the literature of restorative justice and juvenile

recidivism.

What is the Article’s Title and Purpose?

The article being reviewed, “Group conferencing is associated with lower rates of

repeated recidivism among higher-risk youth and there are enhanced effects based on who

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attended the conference,” aims to assess the impact of group conferencing on the reduced

incidences of repeated recidivism than traditional court processing. The study sought to establish

the role of stakeholder involvement (victims, family members, and police) in influencing the

results of youth taken through the Children court of Victoria. The aim is both empirical and

practical: to give an empirical answer concerning the effectiveness of conferencing and explain

what program elements bring the maximum benefits. The authors seek to go beyond the

dichotomous inquiry of whether conferencing works and how and why some specific

arrangements enhance desisting crime.

Who are the Authors and What are Their Qualifications?

The authors of the study are: Robert Bonett, Caleb D. Lloyd, Ariel G. Stone and James R.

P. Ogloff who are all members of the Centre of Forensic Behavioural Science at Swinburne

University of technology and Forensicare in Melbourne. Robert Bonett is a clinical and forensic

psychologist whose doctoral dissertation (2022) compared the effects of group conferencing on

youth recidivism. His work is based on applied forensic psychology because he has gained

experience in justice processes and trauma-informed practices. Caleb D. Lloyd is an Associate

Professor, risk assessment, rehabilitation and corrections and has a solid experience in desistance

theory and management of offenders. Ariel G. Stone is a Research Fellow specializing in

rehabilitation and community corrections and, in particular, the outcomes of youth justice. James

Ogloff is a Dean of Health Sciences, and University Distinguished Professor. He is a world-

renowned expert in forensic behavioral science and has been conducting research in criminal

justice and mental health over a number of decades.

What are the Authors’ Theoretical Assumptions?

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In their work, the authors are guided by the paradigm of restorative justice that considers

crime as a breach of relationships and a criminal offence. They believe that conferencing may be

a key factor in the life of the offending youth through building empathy, social bonds and

reintegration. The ideas are consistent with the desistance theories that underline the role of pro-

social relationships, identity change, and the existence of redemption in preventing re-offending.

The authors also accept the variation in the effectiveness of programs in an interesting turn. They

do not presume that any type of conferencing leads to identical results, but they believe that the

variance in the level of stakeholder participation plays a large role in success. This more practical

approach is in tandem with the thesis introduced by Bonett (2022), who claims that ideals of

restorative justice should be abandoned and instead emphasis should be placed on criminogenic

mechanisms through which conferencing decreases recidivism.

What is the Article’s Hypothesis?

1. Young people who attend group conferencing will have lower chances of returning to

criminal activities as compared to similar young people who take their cases to court

without conferencing.

2. The low rates of recidivism will be linked to the conferences in which a primary victim

has participated than in conferences where they have not participated.

3. The participation of families will minimize recidivism among the youth participants.

4. In addition to the features of the programs, personal-level factors (e.g., a criminal history,

compliance, demographic factors) will continue to play a crucial role as predictors of

reoffending.

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How is the Hypothesis Supported or Rejected? What Makes the Supporting Points

Credible?

These hypotheses were partially proved by the results of the research. The authors used

recurrent-event survival analysis on a group of 2,366 youngsters to test the first hypothesis by

finding that group conferencing decreased the risk of recidivism by 26-40 percent over compared

with matched controls. The decrease was observed in all types of offenses, which highlights the

strength of the results. The second hypothesis was not upheld, however, the outcomes of

conferences where the primary victims were present were not significantly better than where

there were no victims. Interestingly, the greatest reductions in reoffending were obtained in

conferences with secondary victims (those who are indirectly affected) and those who are

involved in the police.

The hypothesis three was not entirely justified. The family was also related to the reduced

person-related offenses and the increased property-crime recidivism, which was counterintuitive.

This duality implies that family involvement may provide support to desistance but at the same

time, present an obstacle. Hypothesis four, on the contrary, was validated. Past charges and

conformity conduct became powerful foretellers of recidivism, and the significance of personal

variables in restorative plans can hardly be overestimated. Methodological rigor, such as large

sample size, matched control groups and detailed statistical modelling such as Cox regression,

logistic regression and negative binomial models supported these findings.

How does the Article Fit into Other Literature on the Topic?

The article is a contribution to the argument on the effectiveness of RJ. Previous meta-

analyses showed small yet significant decreases in recidivism linked to RJ, and the results

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differed based on the risk of offender, victimization, and program design. According to Bonett

(2022), conferencing leads to a 24.40% decrease in recidivism, especially in high-risk youth,

although he added that the importance of involving victims should not be overestimated. Wood

et al. (2022) place RJ in the context of larger justice movements, where it is possible to address

the needs of victims, hold criminals accountable, and provide greater protection to the

community than courts. However, they emphasize unequal outcomes of RJ, administrative issues

and susceptibility to systemic inequalities, including racism and gendered violence.

What Other Articles or Research Support the Authors’ Main Points?

The findings of Bonett et al. (2025) are supported by the similar studies on the same

matter. The doctoral dissertation (2022) by Bonett is one of the most in-depth longitudinal

assessments of conferencing and produced recidivism decreases and emphasized the central role

of secondary victims and police roles. The paper also addresses the future and negative effects of

family presence which are presented in the findings of the article. Wood et al. (2022) are more

theoretical in approach, demonstrating that RJ has a higher effectiveness in addressing the needs

of victims and reintegrating criminals than other approaches, yet negative scenarios are also

described. Their analysis confirms that conferencing is up-to-date and needs to be able to change

in measures to maintain restorative objectives and avoid dilution.

Does the Article Contribute to the Work in a Specific Field?

Yes. The article is applicable to the field. It is empirically informed by life-course

analyses and recurrent event survival analyses that can offer a longitudinal desistance -tracking

mechanism, surmounting the dichotomous outcome restriction of past studies. The article

empirically changes the discussion to policy and practice implications of conferencing rather

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than its effectiveness. The results dispute conventional beliefs about RJ, which suggests that

secondary victims and police can be more powerful in reoffending mitigation than primary

victims. This has implications on the program design that demonstrates how conferencing can

still be effective when the victims are not directly involved in the program. Another issue the

article addresses is the riskier youth, which extends the research of RJ beyond the low-risk,

diversionary samples of conventional studies.

Conclusion

Bonett et al. argue that group conferencing can be an effective method of minimizing

recidivism among juveniles particularly when done with care. The authors have mentioned that

the sample size used was large, the analyses involved were complex and that the study was

focused on high-risk groups, contributing significantly towards the strength of the study. Even

though not every hypothesis was proved to be correct, the results are still helpful: the victim is

not the only factor of effectiveness; the relationships in the family are also important; and

individual risk factors are crucial. The article suggests a more advanced interpretation of RJ,

which is an amalgamation of the thesis of Bonett and the theoretical synthesis of Wood et al.

Additional studies need to be done in the future to understand the dynamics of the participants

and how existing risk profiles are connected to the systems that bar a person to RJ and how

systemic obstacles to RJ are rooted in structural inequality.

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References

Bonett, R. J. W. (2022). Group Conferencing Effects on Youth Recidivism and Elements of

Effective Conferences (Doctoral dissertation, Swinburne University of Technology).

https://figshare.swinburne.edu.au/articles/thesis/Group_Conferencing_Effects_on_Youth

_Recidivism_and_Elements_of_Effective_Conferences/26280931

Bonett, R., Lloyd, C. D., Stone, A. G., & Ogloff, J. R. P. (2025). Group conferencing is

associated with lower rates of repeated recidivism among higher-risk youth and there are

enhanced effects based on who attended the conference. Youth Violence and Juvenile

Justice, 23(1), 72–93. https://doi.org/10.1177/15412040241258952

Wood, W. R., Suzuki, M., & Hayes, H. (2022). Restorative justice in youth and adult criminal

justice. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Criminology and Criminal Justice.

https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190264079.013.658