The Evolution of Balanced and Restorative Justice

Abstract

Maloney, Armstrong, and Romig presented a portrait of “Joey,” who was the exemplar of what was wrong with the juvenile justice system, in 1988 when they published The Balanced Approach in this Journal. In response, they reimagined a juvenile justice system predicated on balancing three fundamental goals—protection of community, accountability to victims, and development of competencies to prepare juvenile court-involved youth for productive roles in their communities. The authors examine the evolution of balanced and restorative justice and re-imagine how Joey's life may have been different at critical junctures of his juvenile court involvement.