An Empirical Review of Family Group Conferencing in Juvenile Offenses

This study reports the results of an effect size analysis of the effectiveness of family group conferencing (FGC) on recidivism and satisfaction in juvenile offenses. Analyses were conducted on nine studies consisting of 2,880 juveniles. The average recidivism effect size for all studies showed no FGC treatment effect on recidivism. A total satisfaction effect size was calculated by the mean score of all satisfaction variables for victims, offenders, and supporters. The average total satisfaction effect size was moderate. The average effect size for satisfaction of victim, offender, and supporters was calculated for all satisfaction variables. The average total satisfaction effect size for victims was strong, moderate for offenders, and mild for parents and supporters. Between groups, comparisons were conducted to examine differences in overall satisfaction by participant group. While there were higher effect sizes for victims compared to supporters and offenders, there were no statistically significant differences between groups. Results find no support for the effectiveness of FGC in reducing recidivism. Results do show higher effect sizes for FGC in comparison to control groups in satisfaction with the criminal justice process. Recommendations for methodological improvements in future FGC research are discussed.