NCJ Number
98059
Date Published
1984
Length
28 pages
Annotation
This paper traces the history of Connecticut's court-affiliated mediation program, describes the mediation process and the mediators, and highlights reactions of clients.
Abstract
The mediation program began in 1958 with the creation of the Family Division and, by 1966 the tradition of court conferences or negotiations was firmly established. Gradually, Connecticut's negotiations or conferences dealing with custody or visitation rights began to evolve into a more formal process of mediation. By 1980, all Family Division Offices in Connecticut had at least one mediation team in operation. Today, custody and visitation mediation services are offered in the 13 offices of Connecticut's Superior Court by some 37 family relations counselors. Cases referred to mediation are normally assigned to a male and female counselor team. The primary goal of the mediation is to help parents communicate and compromise so that they can mutually agree on a custody and visitation arrangement. Most cases are handled in a single sessions; only rarely are more than three sessions held. Most of the mediators are in their 20's and 30's, and all have taken advanced courses on child development, family therapy, or counseling. Without exception, every counselor interviewed in Connecticut spoke enthusiastically about mediation. Of 160 mediation service clients interviewed by phone and mail between August 1981 and January 1982, 59 percent had reached an agreement in mediation. Finally, 78 percent of the successful and 49 percent of the unsuccessful respondents said they would recommend mediation to others. The appendix discusses sample cases.