What is the Resolution Center?
The Resolution
Center is a program that
offers an informal, quick and inexpensive way for dealing with conflicts. Mediation provides that opportunity. Our Resolution Center
is community-based, which means that we recruit and maintain a staff of
community volunteers to work as mediators.
All of the mediations that we provide are free to all parties involved.
Why Mediation?
Mediation is a safe, structured place for people to work out
their differences in a controlled environment without invoking the formal
process of the criminal justice system.
It involves two or more people sitting down with a trained mediator to
talk about the source of their conflict and create a plan to improve the
situation. Mediations are conducted in a
non-threatening location by impartial mediators whose goal is reaching a
solution that is fair and beneficial to both parties. At the Resolution Center,
we currently offer three types of mediations. Conflict is a part of life. The Resolution Center helps resolve these
conflicts peacefully and constructively while empowering victims to be
involved in the justice process. All of our mediators are highly
trained and professional with a passion to help and serve their fellow
Alaskans. Family and community services include:
Victim Offender Mediation – Victims and offenders are brought together in a relaxed environment by one or more mediators. This meeting gives them a chance to discuss the crime and the harm caused. Each party is given a chance to talk about what happened and the feelings involved. Offenders learn to understand the harm that their crime has caused and are given the opportunity to make amends in addition to coming to an agreement with the victim about acceptable behavior or restitution payments. Victims are able to gain closure and feel safe regarding to the situation.
Parent–Adolescent Mediation – These mediations bring parents and teens together to work out household disputes. Everyone is given the chance to speak without being interrupted or judged. Family members learn to listen to one another and work together to solve conflicting issues.
Neighborhood Mediation – Friends and neighbors can come together to discuss neighborhood disputes (ex. private property access/problems with pets, etc). Whatever the conflict, a trained mediator can help neighbors peacefully resolve differences and effectively restore the balance in neighborhoods so that they are again safe places to live, learn, and play.
Mediations teach participants helpful verbal skills for de-escalating future conflicts. In all three types of mediation, participants learn these skills and can be highly effective in future situations where mediation may not be an option. Among the skills taught are: Active listening without interruption, speaking clearly and softly, maintaining eye contact, non-aggressive body language, sympathy, empathy, and relaxation techniques.
Victim Impact Class - In addition to the three types of mediations, the Resolution Center currently offers a 3-hour Victim Impact Class that is available for teen offenders. It is designed to teach offenders about the human consequences of crime. Offenders learn how crime affects the victim and the victim’s family, friends, and the community. Modules address victimization, property crimes, assault, and thinking errors. The Victim Impact Class challenges offenders beliefs and attitudes by causing them to think about the real affects of their actions on the victims. Call to request a list of upcoming classes.
How does it Work?
The Resolution
Center relies on the
community and several different stages of the criminal justice system for our
referrals. Community members, parents,
and teens that are involved in a dispute are welcome to "walk-in" to the Resolution Center on their own and start the
process, but the majority of our cases come from McLaughlin
Youth Intake and the Anchorage Youth Court.
As an alternative sentencing form, they may give offenders the option to participate
in a mediation in exchange for reducing the number of community service hours
required by an attractive amount. (example:
a teen who breaks out a window in a vehicle might be sentenced to 20 hours of
community service, but you have the option of suspending 5 to 10 of those hours
if the person successfully participates in a mediation) The same may be done for the Victim Impact
Class or they may be assigned to attend as a condition of their sentence.