Group Conferencing is Associated with Lower Rates of Repeated Recidivism Among Higher-Risk Youth and There are Enhanced Effects Based on Who Attended the Conference

Abstract

We examined criminal records across adolescence for a sample of young people processed through a statewide Children’s Court (N = 2366) between 2012 and 2018, some of who were referred to a group conferencing program (n = 836). We also examined associations between different program elements and subsequent rates of recidivism, including victim, police, and family participation in the conference process. Recurrent-event survival analysis indicated group conferencing was associated with substantive reductions in the likelihood of recurrent recidivism (26–40% reduced likelihood), controlling for individual propensity for recidivism and both static and time-varying predictors. Within conference completers, binary logistic and negative binomial regression indicated conferences attended by secondary victims and primary police members were associated with larger reductions in post-conference recidivism, compared to conferences with primary victim participation only. Importantly, recidivism likelihood and rates did not differ between those attended by no victim or those attended by a primary victim.