Multi-disciplinary practice guidelines for the management of youth sex offenders within a restorative justice approach in South Africa

Abstract

AbstractThis article is based on a study which explored the use of residential diversion within a restorative justice framework in the management of youth sex offenders in South Africa (SA). The Child Justice Act provided a context and the rationale for the research. The research adopted a case study and a qualitative research design based on a non-probability purposive sampling. Data was collected through in-depth face-to-face interviews with key informants from various professions who were involved in the management of youth sex offenders and/or their victims in a variety of settings in Gauteng and Western Cape provinces in SA. Based on the key findings of the study, the article offers some practice guidelines which are intended to help clarify the roles and responsibilities of the different youth justice service providers in promoting good practice in the focus area of the study in SA.