http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3053143a10,00.html
NIKKI MACDONALD
"Two thirds of young criminals dealt with by family group conferences reoffend, and one in five end up behind bars within three years, research shows.
A Social Development Ministry study into the effectiveness of the youth justice system found 'considerable areas' needing improvement, including checking that punishment and reparations were actually completed. About one-quarter of victims who attended a family group conference did not even get an apology from the offender.
The study tracked 1000 young offenders who were sent to a family group conference. Several years later, they were re-interviewed to assess if their lives had improved. Interviews with about half showed almost two out of three felt that life had gone well for them since the conference, and said they did not want any further involvement in crime.
But this is contradicted by the figures.
About two thirds of those interviewed said they had reoffended; nearly half the young offenders appeared before the courts in the first year after turning 17, rising to 69 per cent after three years. Within three years, more than one in five had been sent to jail. "
