ABSTRACT

The present study aimed to explore the applicability of family group conferencing (FGC) as a youth justice intervention in South Africa by adopting a qualitative methodology. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 multi-professional youth justice practitioners (social workers, psychologists, educationists, legal practitioners) who have experience in the use of restorative justice interventions in South Africa. Although data saturation was achieved, the small sample size due to the limited research and application of FGC in South Africa is recognised as a limitation in the study. The findings showed good endorsement for the use of FGC within the South African youth justice context due to family and victim inclusion, its reparation aims, as well as culture and context adaptability. Additionally, the suitability of FGC as a youth justice intervention was acknowledged due to its promoting accountability and behaviour modification. It is recommended that the judiciary and community members must be educated on the alternative options available to deal with children who come into conflict with the law in order to act in the best interest of youth offenders. The need for more comprehensive research in which both service providers and clients are included is recognised in the article.

摘要

本研究旨在通过采用定性方法探讨家庭小组会议 (FGC) 作为南非青年司法干预的适用性。对 12 名在南非使用恢复性司法干预有经验的多专业青年司法从业者（社会工作者、心理学家、教育家、法律从业者）进行了半结构化访谈。尽管达到了数据饱和，但由于南非 FGC 的研究和应用有限，样本量小被认为是该研究的局限性。调查结果表明，由于家庭和受害者的包容性、其赔偿目标以及文化和环境适应性，在南非青年司法环境中使用 FGC 得到了很好的认可。此外，FGC 作为青年司法干预的适用性得到了承认，因为它促进了问责制和行为矫正。建议司法部门和社区成员必须接受关于处理触法儿童的替代选择的教育，以便为青少年罪犯的最佳利益行事。文章认识到需要进行更全面的研究，其中包括服务提供商和客户。