NORMATIVE AND PRACTICAL ASPECTS OF MEDIATION IN JUVENILE COURT CASES

The article presents mediation proceedings applied in juvenile court cases in Poland. Presently, excessive formalization is observed in social control over youth displaying symptoms of demoralization. Despite legal possibilities, family courts rarely apply mediation proceedings. The number of cases referred to mediation proceedings suggests that judges are still not fully convinced of the validity of restorative justice. According to the author, mediation in juvenile court cases has great signifi cance for education and resocialization, and therefore it should be used more often.