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In 1999, the Queensland government trialled the Youth Justice Service which fundamentally changed the way supervision, rehabilitation and reintegration services were provided to young offenders on community based orders. The Youth Justice Service aims to monitor order compliance, address risk factors associated with the offending behaviour and assist young people to develop skills to successfully navigate their pathways in the future. After controlling for developmental risk factors and key features of the intervention process, the study found that while the Youth Justice Service might have had some temporary deterrent effect it was no better than the traditional service delivery model at preventing recidivism, as measured at 18-months post-intervention. KEYWORDS Recidivism, youth, community-based corrections, developmental crime prevention, Australia

Recidivism reduction is an important objective of restorative justice programs. However, too much attention to recidivism may marginalize basic goals of restorative justice-particularly that of healing harms. In this paper we speculate on the prospects for restorative justice if recidivism rates of participating offenders were not monitored. We foresee both positive and negative consequences. Neglecting recidivism may undermine relationships between restorative justice programs and government agencies, insofar as the latter are chiefly concerned with offender management. Restorative justice also needs support from a public that wants 'results.' Yet, a restorative justice untethered to the recidivism project could deliver the balanced approach it promises, attending to the needs of victim, offender, and community. We conclude that current arrangements, including institutions and attitudes, sustain restorative justice but also constrain what it can be. KEYWORDS Restorative justice, recidivism, program evaluation, rehabilitation