Agenda - 06-09-1981 - Laserfiche WebLink

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"The notion that ordinary people want black-robed judges, well-dressed lawyers and fine-paneled courtrooms as the set- ting to resolve their disputes is not correct. People with problems, like people with pains, want relief, and they want it as quickly and as inexpensively as possible. " --Chief Justice Warren E. Burger, 1977 DISPUTE SETTLEMENT CENTER FACT SHEET For over two years, the Dispute Settlement Center has provided effective, no-cost mediation of interpersonal conflicts to people of the Chapel Hill-Hillsborough area. A talented and skilled team of 20 volunteers trained by the U.S. Dept. of Justice, currently handles an average 500 cases per year with a 91% rate of resolution through mutual agreement. In just two years, the Dispute Settlement Center has become an integral part of the criminal justice system in Orange County, al- leviating the burden on the courts and offering citizens an effective forum in which to resolve a variety of disputes. WHAT IS MEDIATION? Mediation is a process of resolving disputes through compromise. Disputants meet voluntarily in an informal setting with two mediators who facilitate a discussion of the issues in a dispute with the goal of reaching a mutual agreement. Unlike arbitration or adjudication, mediation does not assign guilt nor impose a settlement; resolution is reached through discussion and compromise. BENEFITS TO THE COURTS The majority of cases received by the Dispute Settlement Center are referred at the discretion of the District Attorney; referrals are also made by District Court judges, police, magistrates and private attorneys. Cases from the court system include criminal charges of assault (ranging from simple assault to assault with a deadly weapon) , communicating threats, trespass, injury to property, breaking and en- tering, and larceny. If resolution is reached through mediation, all pending charges are dropped and the case is dismissed by the District Attorney. Each case referred out of District Court allows court per- sonnel more time to devote to other disputes which can only be resolved through adjudication. As visibility within the community increases through local outreach, a significant number of cases (currently 27%) are received on a call-in basis directly from the community. By handling these disputes, which might otherwise have gone through the court system, the Dispute Settle- ment Center further relieves the overstretched resources of the courts. In addition, mediation works toward the resolution of the under- lying issues in a dispute, not possible through the more formal, ad- versarial system of adjudication. By resolving the underlying conflicts, mediation reduces the instances of parties reappearing in court with the same problem since disputants are more likely to abide by a deci- sion in which they have participated. BENEFITS TO THE COMMUNITY The Dispute Settlement Center provides the community with a no-cost, convenient and confidential alternative to the courts for the resolution