The Implementation of the Cobb County Magistrate Court Criminal Mediation Program and Its Effectiveness at Reducing the Number of Criminal Application Hearings Conducted
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ANGIE T. DAVIS. INSTITUTE FOR COURT MANAGEMENT, MAY 1999. |
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Comparison None |
Variables
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Key Findings
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Description
Studied the impact of the mediation program on the number of warrant application hearings being conducted.
Method
Examination of court records to determine the number of warrant application hearings and mediations being conducted.
Sample Size
Not provided
Program Variables
Voluntary, free program in which parties were referred at the time the application hearing was scheduled.
Full Findings
Only 15% of all cases referred were mediated. Of those, 81% were resolved at mediation. The low number of mediations limited the impact on the number of warrant application hearings held.
Evaluation of the Adult Victim-Offender Mediation Program Saskatoon Community Mediation Services: Final Report
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JOAN NUFFIELD. SASKATCHEWAN DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE, FEBRUARY 3, 1997. |
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Comparison Those who had completed mediation, those who were referred to mediation and refused, and those who were not referred |
Variables
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Key Findings
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Description
Comparison of recidivism rates of those who completed mediation and two groups that did not – those who were referred to mediation and refused, and those who were not referred.
Method
All cases referred in 1994 to mediation in Saskatoon area were selected for analysis. Interviews conducted with staff, mediation center board members, and volunteer mediators. Crown prosecutors, members of the defense bar, police officials, and government employees were also interviewed. Cases in Saskatoon were matched on age and gender (but not offense or prior conviction) to cases in Regina. Recidivism was examined two years after case disposition.
Sample Size
228 cases: 115 mediated, 113 not mediated (including 18 that went to mediation and did not reach agreement)
Program Variables
The program was voluntary. Adult offenders were referred if they acknowledged responsibility and had no substantial record, and would not be imprisoned if convicted. Mediators were paid staff and volunteers. The program had been in place 13 years at the time of the study.
Full Findings
The recidivism rate for those who completed mediation was not significantly different from the rate for those who did not.
Mediation of Criminal Conflict: An Assessment of Programs in Four Canadian Provinces
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MARK S. UMBREIT ET AL. CENTER FOR RESTORATIVE JUSTICE AND MEDIATION, SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK, UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA. DECEMBER 21, 1995.
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Comparison Those who participated in mediation, those who were referred but did not participate, and those who were not referred |
Variables
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Key Findings
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Description
Examination of mediation programs in British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, and Ontario, in which offenses were most commonly assault and property crimes.
Method
Divided groups into those who mediated and those who were referred but did not mediate, with no significant demographic differences between the two samples. A total of 610 phone interviews were conducted 2 months after the mediation session or disposition of the case (comparison group). Some mediations were observed.
Sample Size
610 individuals: 323 complainants, 287 offenders
Program Variables
Voluntary mediation provided by volunteer mediators off site without charge to the parties. The programs were operating from 2 (Ontario) to 12 years (Manitoba) prior to the study.
Full Findings
In the mediation group, 78% of victims and 74% of offenders were satisfied with the outcome. In comparison, only 48% of victims and 53% of offenders in the control group were satisfied with their outcome.
The mediation group was also more likely to see the justice system as fair: 80% of victims and offenders in that group did so, while only 43% of the victims and 56% of the offenders in the control group did. Those who participated in mediation overwhelmingly viewed the agreement reached as fair to both themselves and the other party.
Settlement rates in the programs ranged from 90-99%.
Mediation of Interpersonal Disputes: An Evaluation of North Carolina's Programs
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STEVENS H. CLARKE, ERNEST VALENTE JR., AND ROBYN R. MACE. INSTITUTE OF GOVERNMENT, UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT CHAPEL HILL, 1992. |
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Comparison All cases eligible for mediation in program counties and all cases that would be eligible for mediation in matched non-program counties |
Variables
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Key Findings
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Description
Evaluation of the mediation of misdemeanor cases in community mediation programs in Durham, Henderson, and Iredell Counties.
Method
Compared three counties with programs to three corresponding counties without programs. Examined all cases that were eligible for mediation in both program and non-program counties. Data was gathered from court records, mediation program records, and phone interviews of complainants (1 month and 6-10 months after court disposition).
Sample Size
237 of 810 complainants contacted from all six counties were interviewed. Data was collected from 1421 court cases and 544 cases selected for mediation.
Program Variables
Voluntary, free program mediated by volunteers.
Full Findings
Disposition time for all cases increased in two of three program counties and stayed the same in the third. The trial rate was not affected in two of three program counties and decreased in the third. There was a high rate of satisfaction over all with both mediation and litigation. There was also a high rate of compliance with both mediated and informal agreements.
Complainant satisfaction with the case was negatively related to his or her commitment to solving the problem. Complainant satisfaction with the outcome was negatively related to the amount of money he or she spent prosecuting the defendant and was positively related to reaching agreement.