Restorative Justice and Youth Offenders in Nebraska

Abstract

The State of Nebraska has significantly expanded restorative justice services to youth offenders in recent years. A major part of the expansion was the rollout of a statewide system of restorative justice made possible through collaboration among the state's six non-profit community mediation centers and the Nebraska Office of Dispute Resolution. This Article outlines the program, the funding mechanisms, and preliminary results. The early statistical analyses show promise in the program, including reduced recidivism rates. Despite the positive results, this Article also gives critiques of the program and notes areas for further study.

Keywords: restorative justice, mediation, alternative dispute resolution

JEL Classification: K10