This report provides guidance in helping police and community leaders develop successful mediation programs for addressing citizen complaints against police officers. The first chapter defines mediation as "the informal resolution of a complaint or dispute between two parties through a face-to-face meeting in which a professional mediator serves as a neutral facilitator and where both parties ultimately agree that an acceptable resolution has been reached." The goals of mediation are to achieve understanding of the issues involved in the complaint, solve any problems associated with the complaint, and achieve reconciliation between the parties. The second chapter outlines the potential benefits of mediation for police officers, citizen complainants, police accountability, community policing, the complaint process, and the criminal justice system. The third chapter discusses the key issues in developing a mediation program for citizen complaints against police. Among the issues addressed are voluntary participation, case eligibility, the mediation of racial and ethnic-related complaints, the mediation of complaints by women, potential language and cultural barriers, case screening, police discipline and accountability, and getting both sides to the table. Other issues addressed pertain to the mediation session itself and the enforcement of agreements. Chapter four presents results from a survey of existing citizen complaint mediation programs. The concluding chapter describes a model for a successful mediation program for citizen complaints against police. 100 references.

Argues that the optimal outcome of mediation is a negotiated settlement that meets the interests of both parties ("win-win" result), whereas arbitration tends to produce winners and loosers. Presents the example of alleged misuse of company e-mail.

Mediating Across Difference is based on a fundamental premise: to deal adequately with conflict—and particularly with conflict stemming from cultural and other differences—requires genuine openness to different cultural practices and dialogue between different ways of knowing and being. Equally essential is a shift away from understanding cultural difference as an inevitable source of conflict, and the development of a more critical attitude toward previously under-examined Western assumptions about conflict and its resolution. To address the ensuing challenges, this book introduces and explores some of the rich insights into conflict resolution emanating from Asia and Oceania. Although often overlooked, these local traditions offer a range of useful ways of thinking about and dealing with difference and conflict in a globalizing world. To bring these traditions into exchange with mainstream Western conflict resolution, the editors present the results of collaborative work between experienced scholars and culturally knowledgeable practitioners from numerous parts of Asia and Oceania. The result is a series of interventions that challenge conventional Western notions of conflict resolution and provide academics, policy makers, diplomats, mediators, and local conflict workers with new possibilities to approach, prevent, and resolve conflict. Contributors: Roland Bleiker; Volker Boege; Morgan Brigg; Stephen Chan; Frans de Jalong, Sr.; Lorraine Garasu; Mary Graham; Hoang Young-ju; Carwyn Jones; Joy Kere; Debra McDougall; Norifumi Namatame; Chengxin Pan; Oliver Richmond; Deborah Bird Rose; Muhadi Sugiono; Tarja Väyrynen; Polly O. Walker; Jacqueline Wasilewski.

Workplace mediation is becoming an increasingly popular dispute resolution method to settle interpersonal employee conflicts, including harassment and bullying complaints. There is a direct ratio between the quality of relationships across the workplace and long-term effectiveness and success. Mediation addresses complex relationship difficulties head-on so that working relationships can be restored. Fostering a philosophy of mediation as a culture and a "co-entrepreneurial" business model, Doherty and Guyler consider what mediation is, why it is necessary and how it works, including the main principles of operation and the 6-step structure of a mediation meeting. They analyze the reasons for conflict and suggest useful everyday communication skills to help defuse anger or aggression. Real case studies look at specific complaints of bullying, of sexual harassment and of racism, generational conflicts within family businesses and boardroom conflicts between chairmen and CEOs.