1

Causal Relationship Between Criminal Justice Variables

Student’s Name

Course

Professor’s Name

Institution

Date
 2

Causal Relationship Between Criminal Justice Variables

Research Question: Does implementing community-based restorative justice programs

reduce recidivism rates among juvenile offenders in comparison to traditional punitive

approaches?

In this research question, we aim to investigate the causal relationship between implementing

community-based restorative justice programs (independent variable) and recidivism rates

among juvenile offenders (dependent variable).

Independent Variable: Community-based Restorative Justice Programs

The study’s independent variable is the implementation of community-based restorative

justice programs. Restorative justice focuses on harm repair resulting from criminal behavior

through inclusive processes involving offenders, victims, and communities. According to Cacho

et al. (2020), community-based restorative justice programs involve victim-offender mediation,

community service, and restitution. Such programs aim to hold offenders accountable, promote

victim healing, and facilitate community involvement in justice. Community-based restorative

justice programs can be conceptualized as an alternative to traditional punitive approaches,

emphasizing offender accountability, victim healing, and community involvement. These

programs typically involve a range of interventions, such as victim-offender mediation,

community service, restitution, and other restorative practices. Implementing community-based

restorative justice programs can be measured through various indicators. They include the

availability and accessibility of programs, the types of interventions offered, the number of

participants enrolled, and the duration and intensity of the programs.

 3

Dependent Variable: Recidivism Rates among Juvenile Offenders

This study's dependent variable is the recidivism rates among juvenile offenders.

Recidivism refers to the tendency of offenders to re-offend or commit new crimes after being

released from custody or completing a criminal justice intervention (Cacho et al., 2020).

Recidivism can be conceptualized as the reoccurrence of criminal behavior or the re-involvement

in the criminal justice system after being subject to a criminal justice intervention or sanction.

Measuring the recidivism rate can be achieved by tracking the number of new convictions,

arrests, or incarcerations over a specified period after completing a criminal justice intervention

or being released from custody.

Unit of Analysis

The unit of analysis in this study is the individual juvenile offender. The focus is on

examining the effects of community-based restorative justice programs on recidivism rates

among juvenile offenders who have been involved in the criminal justice system.

Research Design: Quasi-Experimental Design

a quasi-experimental research design would be appropriate to investigate the causal

relationship between community-based restorative justice programs and recidivism rates among

juvenile offenders. Quasi-experimental designs are often used when random assignment to

treatment and control groups is unethical, as in criminal justice research. A potential quasi-

experimental design that could be employed is a non-equivalent control group design with pre-

test and post-test measurements.

 4

Sampling Methods

the study’s participants will be recruited through the juvenile justice system, including

juvenile courts, probation offices, or correctional facilities. A non-probability sampling method,

such as convenience or purposive sampling, may select participants based on specific criteria and

their eligibility for participating in community-based restorative justice programs.

Group Assignment

Participants in a non-equivalent control group design are not randomly assigned to

treatment and control groups. The existing groups are used, and differences between these

groups are accounted for through statistical techniques. The treatment group in this study will

consist of juvenile offenders who participate in community-based restorative justice programs.

The control group will include juvenile offenders who receive traditional punitive interventions

such as probation and incarceration programs.

Pre-test Measurements

Pre-test measurements of recidivism rates will be taken for both the treatment and control

groups before implementing the interventions. This will be done by collecting data on previous

convictions, arrests, or incarcerations for each participant.

Intervention Implementation

After pre-test measurements, the treatment group will participate in community-based

restorative justice programs, while the control group will receive traditional punitive
 5

interventions. The implementation of these interventions should be carefully documented and

monitored to ensure consistency and fidelity.

Post-test Measurements

After a specified period, such as one year, two years, or three years, post-test

measurements of recidivism rates will be collected for both the treatment and control groups.

This can be done by tracking new convictions, arrests, or incarcerations for each participant

during the specified period.

Data Analysis

Statistical analyses, such as analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) or repeated measures

analysis of variance (ANOVA), will be applied. The analysis approaches will help to compare

the recidivism rates between the treatment and control groups while controlling for pre-existing

differences and other relevant covariates such as age, gender, offense type, and risk level.

Limitations and Considerations

Selection bias is a potential issue in the proposed research design since participants are

not randomly assigned to groups. There may be inherent differences between the treatment and

control groups that could influence the results. Although statistical techniques can be employed

to control for these differences, selection bias cannot be eliminated. Participants may drop out or

be lost to follow-up during the study period. This could lead to missing data and reduced

statistical power. It could potentially compromise the validity and generalizability of the

findings. Ensuring intervention fidelity, which refers to consistently implementing and delivering

community-based restorative justice programs across different settings and providers, can be
 6

challenging. Variations in the implementation and delivery of the interventions could affect the

outcomes and make it difficult to attribute the observed effects solely to the restorative justice

programs (Cacho et al., 2020). Despite these limitations, the proposed quasi-experimental

research design provides a rigorous approach to investigating the causal relationship between

community-based restorative justice programs and recidivism rates among juvenile offenders.

The findings from this study could contribute valuable insights to the criminal justice field and

inform policies and practices related to juvenile offender rehabilitation and reintegration.
 7

References

Cacho, R., Fernández-Montalvo, J., López-Goñi, J. J., Arteaga, A., & Haro, B. (2020).

Psychosocial and personality characteristics of juvenile offenders in a detention center regarding

recidivism risk. European journal of psychology applied to legal context, 12(2), 69-75.