For juveniles who participated in family group conferencing, what was the most common sanction found?

Community service emerged as the most common sanction for juveniles who participated in family group conferencing due to its restorative nature and focus on community engagement. Family group conferencing emphasizes bringing together various stakeholders, including family members, victims, and community members, to collaboratively address the juvenile's behavior and its impact.

In this context, community service serves multiple functions: it allows the juvenile to make amends for their actions by contributing positively to the community, facilitates personal accountability, and can help foster a sense of connection and responsibility. The involvement of family and community in the conferencing process often leads to community service being viewed as a valuable and constructive consequence rather than punitive incarceration or financial penalties.

While options such as restitution and time in juvenile detention are also potential sanctions, community service is favored for its rehabilitative aspect within restorative justice practices, making it a more common outcome in these settings. Forfeiture, meanwhile, is less typically associated with juvenile cases.