NCJ Number
104809
Journal
Juvenile and Family Court Journal Volume: 37 Issue: 5 Dated: (1986) Pages: 7-13
Date Published
1986
Length
7 pages
Annotation
The Juvenile Mediation Program, established in all Connecticut juvenile courts in January 1985, has been effective in resolving family-with-service-needs (FWSN) cases and minor delinquency cases.
Abstract
All FWSN referrals are reviewed by the probation supervisor, who assigns the case to a mediation team of probation officers trained in mediation. A mediation conference held with the child and parents aims at the venting of feelings, communication among the parties about presenting problems, and the development of an agreement satisfactory to all parties which addresses the problem. Failure to reach an agreement or noncompliance with an agreement may lead to a subsequent court hearing. Truancy cases referred to mediation focus on reasons for the truancy and involve the mediator, parents, the child, and school officials in resolving the problem. All first-time misdemeanor cases are assigned for mediation. All parties involved in the offense must agree to mediation, and the juvenile must admit responsibility for the offense. Should an agreement not be reached, the case is committed to traditional nonjudicial processing. No material presented in the mediation sessions, other than the agreement, are admissible in subsequent hearings. The evaluation conducted on cases processed from January 1, 1985, through December 31, 1985 (471 cases) examined the number and type of cases mediated, the number and length of mediation sessions, juveniles' age and sex, and mediation outcomes. Agreements were reached in more than 75 percent of the cases. 1 table.