Effect of Victim-Offender Mediation versus Dispositions on Youth Recidivism: The Role of Risk Level

Disentangling the Impact of Victim-Offender Mediation in Youth Recidivism

“…These results do not support previous studies, which found clear advantages for extrajudicial measures compared to other formal court procedures (Rodríguez, 2007;Schwalbe et al, 2012;Umbreit, 2001). On the other hand, the results from this study support previous research with Spanish youth offenders, which found no significant differences between VOM and some judicial measures (Jara et al, 2016;Villanueva et al, 2014). Extrajudicial solutions such as VOM are just as beneficial as measures involving more direct judicial involvement, such as community service.…”

“…Indeed, some authors argue that victim-offender mediation has differential effects in different countries around the world (Hansen & Umbreit, 2018). In any case, the few studies carried out with Spanish youth offenders participating in VOM did not find significant differences in recidivism compared to other educational dispositions and even case closure (Jara et al, 2016;Villanueva et al, 2014). In these studies, the measures included were very diverse in terms of their risk level, and this seems to be a variable influencing recidivism.…”

“…The Youth Level of Service/Case Management Inventory (YLS/ CMI) by Hoge & Andrews (2006), which was translated into Spanish by Garrido et al (2006), is an instrument for evaluating the risk of a youth reoffending and several studies have shown the predictive accuracy of the YLS/CMI in relation to recidivism (Cuervo et al, 2017;Villanueva et al, 2014). Different data of minors related to their family life, previous judicial records, school evolution, etc., as well as the personal interview, were taken into account by the technical team in the Juvenile Court to complete the inventory.…”

Victim–Offender Mediation and Reduced Reoffending: Gauging the Self-Selection Bias

“…For example, Stewart et al (2018) concluded that the effect of VOM found on reoffending should be interpreted with some caution, as the control group consisted of offenders who were not willing to participate. In fact, many studies suffer from this potential bias (Latimer et al, 2005; McCold & Wachtel, 1998; Villanueva, Jara, & García-Gomis, 2014). In return, this raises the question to what degree the effects found on reoffending are due to the VOM process itself or to preexisting differences between offenders.…”

The Impact of Juvenile Educational Measures, Confinement Centers, and Probation on Adult Recidivism

“…However, some studies have also shown that youth recidivism is not determined by the type of sanction or educational measure, but the general level of risk in the minor's life (Schwalbe, Gearing, MacKenzie, Brewer, & Ibrahim, 2012;Villanueva, Jara, & García-Gomis, 2014). In their review, Wilson and Hoge (2013) found that the degree of effectiveness of diversion programs was moderated by the minor's level of risk.…”