The Neighborhood Justice Center

The Neighborhood Justice Center (NJC) was developed to help citizens peacefully resolve disputes through mediation. It offers an alternative to traditional court hearings. The Neighborhood Justice Center has been providing mediation services in the District Attorney’s Office since 1980. Studies have shown that disputing parties can successfully resolve their own disputes with the assistance of a mediator more than 80% of the time. Allowing disputing parties to mediate saves the taxpayers thousands of dollars and leaves the courtrooms open for more serious crimes.

The mediations that occur in the Neighborhood Justice Center fulfill two very important goals in the criminal justice system. First, mediation can provide creative solutions to problems which may not be available in the standard court setting. Second, mediation is an efficient and economical use of resources for minor disputes that tend to receive little time or attention in an already overburdened court system.

What is Mediation ?

A trained and neutral mediator will facilitate a meeting between the involved parties in the dispute with the goal of resolving the issues in a way that is agreeable to everyone. The mediator will explain the process, establish ground rules and ask the parties to share the situation and their perspective. Once the problems are identified, the mediator will assist the parties in developing mutually agreeable terms for resolving the issues that are creating conflict. Mediation can often successfully resolve issues that have been present for long periods of time and create outlines for how to ease or confront future problems before they get out of hand.

Why Mediation ?

Mediation allows everybody involved a chance to express their role and perspective in detail, to brainstorm solutions jointly and find resolutions that will truly address each person’s issues and concerns.

What to Expect

• Mediations are typically scheduled for two hours.
• The Mediator does not hear evidence, so all the parties need to do is come prepared to discuss how the situation arose and what types of resolution might work.
• Every action and decision in mediation is by agreement.

Referrals can be made through:

• Community agencies
• Law enforcement agencies
• Neighbors
• Prosecution or court referrals/orders
• Schools
• Walk-in Requests

Regardless of the referral source, in the majority of cases both parties must voluntarily agree to participate in the program. Occasionally, the courts will require one or both parties to participate. Mediations are scheduled Tuesday - Friday during normal business hours.