Psychological outcomes of a restorative-based youth diversion program: A multi-site evaluation

This study examined psychological changes associated with a restorative-based diversion program implemented across five sites in 19 separate cohorts in South Korea. Using a single-group pre–post design, the study assessed victim awareness, acceptance of responsibility, positive self-concept, commitment to change, and offense-related negative emotions among youths in this offender-focused program. Participants showed significant increases in the first four domains, whereas offense-related negative emotions showed a more mixed pattern. Patterns of change were broadly similar across sites, although victim awareness varied across centers. The findings suggest that restorative-based diversion may support psychologically meaningful change among youths even without direct victim participation.