“Neighborhood Justice Centers Field Test.”

Source: (1982) In: R. Tomasic and M.M.F Feeley (eds.), Neighborhood Justice: Assessment of an Emerging Idea. New York, NY: Longman Inc, pp. 91-110.

This article discusses the experimental neighborhood justice centers in Atlanta, Kansas City, and Los Angeles. Evidence showed that mediation is an effective and satisfactory method for resolving many types of minor disputes. Almost 4,000 varied cases from diverse sources were handled effectively, and successful resolutions were reached in nearly half of them. Followup interviews 6 months later indicated that a substantial majority of disputants were satisfied with the center alternative and were holding to the terms of their agreements. Overall, this type of informal process has the potential for being an effective alternative to the courts and of relieving the court of some of its caseload.