NCJ Number
93744
Journal
Justice System Journal Volume: 8 Issue: 3 Dated: (Winter 1983) Pages: 307-324
Date Published
1983
Length
18 pages
Annotation
Many courts faced with growing civil backlogs and limited judicial and staff resources are employing non-judicial methods of case disposition, such as mediation and arbitration, to help relieve their congested dockets. This article describes the operation of a case-disposition program in Wayne County, Michigan, which court officials credit with a twelve-month reduction in time from filing to trial.
Abstract
The ABA Action Commission undertook an examination of the procedure in 1982 to supplement the available information on the program for judges and court administrators interested in implementing similar case-disposition programs. The examination, based on the review of case data and interviews with more than 100 attorneys, focuses on the operation of the procedure, the impact of mediation on the disposition of cases, the operation of the penalty provision, and the attitudes of the attorneys towards the program. (Publisher abstract)