Abstract
Restorative justice mechanisms have increasingly replaced traditional criminal sanctions within juvenile justice systems across Scandinavia, emphasizing rehabilitation, dialogue, and victim restitution over retributive punishment. This empirical study investigates the operational efficacy and behavioral outcomes of restorative justice interventions administered through the Norwegian Mediation Board (Konfliktrådet) for juvenile property offenders in Oslo, Norway. Utilizing a quasi-experimental design with propensity score matching, the study tracks a cohort of 412 juvenile offenders (aged 15–18) processed between 2018 and 2020 over a 24-month post-disposition follow-up window, comparing restorative mediation participants (n = 206) with a matched cohort subjected to conventional prosecutorial sanctions (n = 206). Outcome measures include two-year reconviction rates, restitution agreement compliance, and victim procedural justice perceptions. The empirical findings reveal a statistically significant reduction in general recidivism among the restorative justice cohort (21.4% versus 35.8%; p < 0.001), alongside an 88.7% agreement compliance rate and elevated victim satisfaction (84.2%). Survival analysis demonstrates a prolonged desistance trajectory among youth engaging in direct victim-offender mediation. These results substantiate the socio-legal viability of diversionary restorative frameworks in mitigating youth criminal trajectories within urban jurisdictions and provide evidence-based insights for contemporary juvenile justice reform.
