Describe the history, purpose and rationale for the Dispute Resolution Center.

An informal hearing place designed to mediate interpersonal disputes without resorting to the more formal arrangements of a criminal trial court.  They hear victims’ claims of minor wrongs such as passing bad checks, trespassing, shoplifting, and petty theft. Today, more than 200 centers throughout the country, 8 frequently staffed by volunteer mediators, work to resolve disagreements without assigning blame. Dispute-resolution programs began in the early 1970s, with the earliest being the Community Assistance Project in Chester, Pennsylvania; the Night Prosecutor Program in Columbus, Ohio; and the Arbitration as an Alternative
Program in Rochester, New York.