Restorative justice for young offenders
Restorative justice (RJ) was “officially” implemented in France for the Judicial Youth Protection Services (PJJ) in 2018 following a call for projects launched by the Ministry of Justice. The Code for Juvenile Criminal Justice (CJPM), which came into force on September 30, 2021, legislated RJ into juvenile criminal law in the preliminary title of the code dealing with the general principles of juvenile criminal justice. Despite falling under a child rights-based approach, does RJ constitute a right that is accessible to juveniles ? The collection and analysis of testimonials from nearly 50 individuals working for the PJJ (territorial manages and service professionals) confirms that while RJ is presented as a “right,” a combination of factors “limit” juveniles’ access to this program (resources, control logic, educational and protective culture).