Restorative justice and the development of empathy, remorse and moral disengagement in adolescent offenders

This study was designed to examine the development of empathy, remorse and moral disengagement among juvenile offenders, and determine the effectiveness of a victim empathy training (VET) curriculum. Research indicates that more empathic individuals are more likely to engage in prosocial acts and less likely to engage in delinquent acts. Theories regarding the self-sanctions for moral behavior suggest that youth who are more prone to moral disengagement thought processes tend to engage in more aggressive behavior. The capacity for remorse is theoretically related to empathy and moral disengagement, but has received little empirical attention.; One aim of this study was to examine the role that empathy, moral disengagement, and the capacity for remorse play in the behaviors of juvenile offenders. The relationship between psychosocial maturity and these three constructs of interest was also examined. A second goal of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the VET classes in reducing recidivism.; Research participants included 60 juveniles from the Stafford County and Charlottesville City Juvenile and Domestic Relations (J&DR) Courts. All juveniles appearing in court for crimes that were neither status offenses nor serious violent offenses were eligible for participation. Participants completed a baseline interview that included measures of empathy, remorse, moral disengagement, altruistic and problem behaviors, social desirability, and psychosocial maturity. Follow-up data were collected approximately six months after the baseline interview. Recidivism data were collected from court files in the Stafford J&DR court.; It was hypothesized that individuals who were more psychosocially mature, demonstrated greater capacities for empathy and remorse, and were less prone to use moral disengagement mechanisms, would be less likely to recidivate and would report less delinquent behavior. The study revealed substantial interrelatedness between the constructs and associations with delinquent, but not altruistic behavior.; It was also hypothesized that juveniles who participated in the VET classes would be less likely to recidivate than juveniles who were assigned to the control group. The VET classes were not effective in preventing recidivism, but were somewhat effective in delaying it. Results of the theoretical portion of the study are discussed and implications of the evaluation are considered.