Restorative justice empowers those involved in a crime or conflict to actively participate in the resolution of the resulting issues. Among its various tools, the most widely used is criminal mediation, a confidential pathway that, after one or more individual interviews, can lead to a meeting between the victim and the perpetrator, in the presence of mediators. A survey on the subject of juvenile restorative justice, promoted by the National Ombudsperson for Children (Agia) in collaboration with the Istituto degli Innocenti and the Ministry of Justice, was dedicated to the topic of juvenile restorative justice.
The first phase of the research, which involved focus groups and interviews with children and adults involved in mediation in juvenile criminal proceedings, was recently brought to a close. The listening activities took place in Turin, Milan, Trento, Ancona, Salerno, Catanzaro and Palermo, partly in person, and partly online.
"The project – reads the website of the National Ombudsperson for Children and Adolescents – now moves on to the second phase, during which an update of the mapping of the entities providing restorative justice services throughout the country operating in the juvenile criminal justice system will be carried out. Thereafter, the focus of the research will be on programmes presently in use, in particular those other than mediation, such as family group conferences and circles".
For a more in-depth look at the topic, we recommend the study and proposal document produced by the Agia, "La mediazione penale e altri percorsi di giustizia riparativa nel procedimento penale minorile" (Criminal mediation and other restorative justice pathways in juvenile criminal proceedings), available online in the "Publications" section of the Ombudsperson's website.
Other materials and news can be found on this site under the topic Juvenile criminal justice, which can be reached from the "Topics" navigation menu.