‘It's Good to Talk’: Community Mediation in Scotland

Abstract

It has often been suggested that one of the key tests of civilized society lies in the processes and mechanisms that exist for the resolution of disputes between citizens. Scotland has long adopted an adversarial court-based system of civil justice. Criticism of this system and its procedures has led to a search for new and better ways of resolving disputes. As a consequence there has been a growth in interest in ‘Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR)’. One expression of this new interest has been the recent introduction of mediation programmes to tackle community and neighbourhood disputes. This article charts the inception of these initiatives and discusses the experiences of those active within the community mediation field in Scotland. Aspects of this article are drawn from Scottish Office research conducted by the authors, referred to in the text as ‘the study’.