NCJ Number
102993
Date Published
1986
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This article summarizes the assessment of the American Bar Association's (ABA's) intake and referral project, the first of a three-stage process in the development of multidoor centers designed to screen, refer, and process various types of disputes using a variety of dispute resolution mechanisms housed in one facility.
Abstract
Sites selected for the project were Houston, Tex.; Tulsa, Okla.; and the District of Columbia. The ABA provided fundraising assistance and intake training but entrusted decisions on program implementation and operations to local staff and sponsors. The sites drew their caseloads in different ways and used various means for handling them. Each site's strategy and style of implementation depended on existing systems, the location of intake officers, the goals of program sponsors, and the referral agencies available. The ABA trainers designed the intake process to provide expert diagnosis of the disputes and referrals to appropriate forums. None of the programs handled serious criminal matters or large civil disputes. Over the three sites, approximately half the cases were resolved at the time of followup interviews, and 14 percent were pending. Although 83 percent of those interviewed were satisfied with the intake centers and 82 percent were willing to return, only 59 percent felt the center had 'helped' with the dispute. The principal cause of this apparent contradiction was misunderstanding of what to expect from the centers. 3 figures.