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The New Zealand Model of Family Group Conferencing

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Abstract

The Family Group Conference (FGC) originated in New Zealand where it is the foundation stone of the Youth Justice system introduced in 1989. A significant feature of that system is the way in which it enables restorative justice principles to be implemented in an integrated manner in a statutory framework supervised by the courts and applicable to all young offenders throughout New Zealand. FGCs are used both as a diversionary technique (pre-adjudication) and at a (post-adjudication) pre-sentencing stage. In addition this type of model is now being applied in a voluntary way but on a small scale with adults. A significant feature of the FGC model is its greater use of community-based solutions with a consequent reduction in the number of young persons in state institutions.

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McElrea, J.F. The New Zealand Model of Family Group Conferencing. European Journal on Criminal Policy and Research 6, 527–543 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1008696514447

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