Work and Structure of a Neighborhood Justice System (From Mediation in the Justice System - Conference Proceedings, P 138-145, 1983, Marie R Volpe et al, ed. - See NCJ-92471)

• NCJ Number: 92480
• Author(s): R Shonholtz
• Date Published: 1983
• Length: 8 pages
• Sale Source: American Bar Association
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

Neighborhood justice systems which have strong leadership and a committed work group can be effective in reducing conflict, alleviating residents' fear of crime, lowering tensions within a community, and building community cohesion and understanding.

Abstract

The Community Boards Program in San Francisco, a successful program which has been cited as a model for other such programs, was begun in 1976, and is almost exclusively process-oriented. It uses community volunteers for all functions and tries to provide residents with the necessary skills to effectively operate a nonjudgmental conflict resolution system that other residents will respect and readily use. The two crucial elements of a strong neighborhood justice system are enough training and an organizational structure which is sufficient to coordinate, plan, and evaluate the individual and integrated work of the trained volunteers. Volunteers in the San Francisco program serve as outreach workers, case developers, panelists on conciliation teams, followup workers, trainers, planners and evaluators. The program has succeeded in developing a strong leadership and a committed work group in each neighborhood. The residents know that they are in charge of the program and that it meets their own community's needs.