Picture a juvenile correctional facility from the 1970s, one that houses
offenders who committed murders, serious assaults, gang-related crimes,
robberies, and sex offenses. Juvenile offenders are sent to the facility
to participate in treatment programs. A visitor might find offenders
playing ping-pong, lifting weights, or watching television. "Is this the
best we can do with offenders? Why can't they learn about their victims
and about the harm they caused?" The newly appointed director of the
California Youth Authority (CYA) posed these questions in the early
1980s, triggering the development of a powerful and innovative program
known then as the Impact of Crime on Victims (ICV). CYA staff asserted
that traditional models of offender programming were ineffective in
curbing delinquent behavior and that, subsequently, offenders returned
to the community unchanged. Treatment programs at the time addressed
what offenders needed: education, vocational training, substance abuse
intervention, and life skills...