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Juvenile Accountability
in Practice
Case Studies
The case studies illustrate
the concepts of accountability in
practice. (The case studies are based
on fact, but the names “Cal” and
“Maritza” are pseudonyms.) Juvenile
offenders such as Cal and Maritza can
understand what they have done to
their victims if interventions recognize
each youth’s developmental progress
and build on individual strengths.
Using a strengths-based rather than a deficits-based approach will help
youth develop empathy, learn how to
anticipate outcomes of their actions,
see alternatives to negative behaviors,
and recognize that they have choices
when they make decisions.
Cal’s story also illustrates the
importance of involving parents in
helping children to take responsibility
for their actions and to capitalize on
their strengths. Parents can become
the prime motivators in helping
adjudicated juveniles achieve success in
school and work and develop
friendships with prosocial peers. Through
the probation program, Cal’s mother
came to understand the sources of
his depression and learned how to support and encourage his
competencies.
The stories of Cal and Maritza also
show how helping juvenile offenders
make amends to their victims and
the community may mean providing
them ways of giving something to
others, often for the first time in their
lives. Making amends brings out the
best in juveniles and can become a
positive life-altering event for them.
For both Cal and Maritza, facing the
consequences of their actions and
developing empathy for their victims
were beneficial. Building on their
strengths enabled them to experience
success and reversed their deteriorating behavior.
Balanced and Restorative
Justice
One of the most widely practiced
forms of accountability-based
sanctions is the Balanced and Restorative
Justice (BARJ) approach, which is
woven into many of the best practices described in the JAIBG Best
Practices Bulletins and highlighted
in this Bulletin. As Umbreit notes, in
the BARJ paradigm, the “meaning of
accountability shifts the focus from
incurring a debt to society to that of
incurring a responsibility for making
amends to the victimized person
and victimized community.”4 In
summarizing balanced and restorative
justice, Umbreit defines accountability as the juvenile’s obligation to a
victim when the juvenile commits a
delinquent act. This definition of
accountability posits that the juvenile
understands the impact of his or her
behavior on the victim and takes action to make things right. Teaching
the juvenile how to make choices that
do not harm others, through restorative justice in the developmental
context described in this Bulletin, is
an important part of State and local
implementation of new juvenile
accountability initiatives.
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Case Study 1: Cal
Cal had a history of trauma and victimization. He had been depressed and obese since
childhood, he was teased and ostracized in school, and his stepfather was abusive. With the
exception of art, Cal’s school record was poor—he was bored and feared punishment by his
stepfather for his bad grades. Cal became a follower who would do what peers asked to gain
their approval. When Cal and his friends were arrested for burglary, they viewed the crime as victimless because no one was home when they broke in and took bicycles and tools. On
learning of Cal’s history, the judge determined that punishment alone was not enough to keep
Cal from becoming a chronic property offender. The judge referred him to a probation program in which he would have to confront the harm he inflicted on his victims. During group
and individual accountability sessions, Cal learned about himself and heard from other youth
who felt mistreated at home and school. He learned to make better choices for himself. With
the encouragement of his probation officer and his mother, Cal met with his victims, who told
him how the burglary affected their lives. The victims wanted Cal to perform community service rather than pay them for the stolen goods. His mother suggested he do something artistic.
Cal painted a mural at his school and, with the support of his mother and art teacher, organized other students to help.
This effective accountability intervention gave Cal recognition for a positive ability,
which enhanced his sense of competence and self-worth. His success, a major change
in his life, made him less likely to engage in negative activities, and his actions made the
victims (and through them the community) feel better.
Case Study 2: Maritza
Maritza, a 15-year-old, grew up in a family dominated by alcohol, cocaine, and violence. She
was often sent to relatives after witnessing drunken brawls at home. Maritza was known in
school as a difficult child whose verbal outbursts resulted in trips to the principal’s office. An
outspoken critic of school rules and group punishment, Maritza was seen by adults as
challenging and rude. The day after an intergroup argument that required police intervention,
Maritza was caught entering school with a knife. At a special juvenile weapons court session,
Maritza and the judge talked about reliance on weapons in a dispute. Prior to case disposition, Maritza participated in twice-weekly group meetings and learned techniques for alternative conflict resolution and prosocial choice-making. With the help of a program volunteer,
Maritza learned to speak assertively without aggression, became involved in dispute resolution training at her school, and persuaded school officials to offer a class in nonviolent problem solving.
This effective accountability intervention used Maritza’s strength (her verbal ability) and
helped her learn how to channel her anger in positive ways. Maritza developed empathy for her enemy and learned nonviolent problem-solving skills, which made her less
likely to become involved in dangerous conflict.
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| Best Practices in Juvenile
Accountability: Overview | JAIBG Bulletin
· April 2003 |
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