Reducing recidivism through restorative justice: an evaluation of Bridges to Life in Dallas

Abstract We employed a quasi-experimental design to assess the effect of participation in Bridges to Life (BTL), a restorative justice program, on reincarceration. Drawing from Texas Department of Criminal Justice data, we used propensity scores to match a sample of 296 participants with a comparison non-participant group of 296 parolees. We compared reincarceration rates after 1 and 3.5 years. Results generally support the proposition that parolees who participated in BTL had lower rates of reincarceration. Restorative justice-based programs seem to work for reducing reincarceration rates among parolees and this reduction effect is found for both overall crime and violent crime.