Virginia’s Community Mediation Centers Receive
Federal Funding for Pilot Police-Referred Mediation
Resolution Virginia, the state’s consortium of community mediation centers, received federal funds to pilot a police-referred mediation project that will provide residents in communities across Virginia access to free mediation, conciliation and other conflict resolution services. Virginia’s U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine secured the funding as part of the fiscal 2024 appropriations bill. People from Fairfax, Amherst, Charlottesville, Roanoke, Harrisonburg, Warrenton and surrounding communities will be served through the project.
According to a joint announcement from the senators, the project’s aim is to reduce reliance on police departments and courts as well as decrease levels of community violence. Resolution Virginia’s Executive Director Christine Poulson said the Police-Referred Mediation pilot project helps Virginians get easy access to justice and improves community safety. “Through this project,” she said, “Virginians can, with the help of trained community-based mediators, conflict coaches and facilitators, develop creative solutions to conflicts and help keep conflict situations from becoming violent. It also provides Virginians with a less adversarial, less formal and more empowering way to resolve conflicts.” Virginia’s community mediation centers are working with local law enforcement to identify conflicts that could resolved through the project, such as neighborhood disputes or domestic issues, and develop early intervention referral protocols.
The centers will also engage in a rigorous community awareness campaign and recruit and train an increased number of community mediators.“This project will increase the capacity of Virginia’s community dispute resolution centers to help people address conflicts at the earliest stages, when the chance for lasting resolution is greatest,” Ms. Poulson said.
Law enforcement departments interested in being involved in this project should contact Christine Poulson at (540) 294-0732 or info@resolutionvirginia.org
This project is supported by Grant No. 14142965 awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance. The Bureau of Justice Assistance is a component of the Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the Office for Victims of Crime and the SMART Office.
Points of view or opinions in this document are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Partners include Virginia Tech’s Center for Peace Studies and Violence Prevention and participating law enforcement agencies.