Adolescents' Retributive and Restorative Orientations in Response to Intergroup Harms in Schools.

This mixed-methods study examined how adolescents understand and evaluate different ways to address intergroup harms in schools. In individual interviews, 77 adolescents (M age = 16.49 years; 39 girls, 38 boys) in Bogotá, Colombia, responded to hypothetical vignettes wherein a rival group at school engaged in a transgression against their group. Adolescents reported that students who were harmed should and would talk to school authorities, but also noted they would likely retaliate. In terms of teacher-sanctioned responses to harm, youth endorsed compensation most strongly, followed by apologies, and rated suspension least positively. Youths' explanations for their endorsement of different disciplinary practices reflected varied concerns, including their perceptions of how justice is best achieved and how restoration could be attained.

Preferencia hacia la justicia restaurativa y retributiva y su relación con el nivel de competencia moral / Preference towards restorative and retributive justice and its relation to the level of moral competence

Resumen Este artículo propone identificar la relación entre la preferencia hacia uno de dos tipos de justicia (retributiva y restaurativa) y el nivel de competencia moral en estudiantes universitarios. Se trabajó con una muestra por conveniencia de 120 estudiantes de psicología (93 mujeres y 27 hombres) de 16 a 46 años de edad (M = 19.53, DE = 3.17). Se diseñó y validó la Escala de Preferencia hacia la Justicia Restaurativa/Retributiva, y se aplicó el Test de Juicio Moral. Los resultados muestran que los estudiantes presentan una preferencia por la justicia restaurativa, a la vez que evidencian niveles bajos a medios en su competencia moral. Se obtuvo una correlación estadísticamente significativa entre nivel de competencia moral y la preferencia hacia la justicia tanto restaurativa como retributiva para solo uno de los dilemas morales analizados (médico vs. trabajador). Se discuten los resultados asumiendo que el tipo de evento transgresor analizado afecta de forma significativa el índice de competencia moral y la preferencia hacia un tipo de justicia específico. La preferencia tiende hacia la justicia restaurativa con respecto a la justicia retributiva; esta preferencia no se ve influenciada por el sexo o haber sido víctima de un delito.

Abstract In this paper, we aim to identify the relationship between the preference towards one of two types of justice (retributive justice and restorative justice) and the level of moral competence in university students. A convenience sample of 120 Psychology students (93 women and 27 men) aged 16-46 (M=19.53, SD=3.17) participated in this correlational design. The "Preference Scale Towards Restorative/Retributive Justice" was designed and validated and the "Moral Judgement Test" was applied. Results suggest that most students lean towards restorative justice and have low to medium levels of moral competence. We found a positive and statistically significant correlation between moral competence and preference for restorative and retributive justice for one of the analyzed dilemmas (doctor vs. worker). Results are discussed assuming that the type of transgressing event significantly affects moral competence index and favorability toward a specific type of justice. The preference tends toward restorative justice than retributive justice; this preference is not influenced by sex or having been the victim of a crime.