This report examines the effect of the Criminal Mediation Program on the number of Application Hearings. The Criminal Mediation Program was created to reduce backlog in the hearing process - cases in which a judge cannot determine if there is probable cause to issue a warrant are now referred to mediation and only when no resolution is achieved will an Application Hearing be scheduled. The study found that of the criminal cases mediated over the seven moths surveyed, 81% were successfully resolved. However, only 15% of cases referred to the program were mediated, which reduced the impact of the program on the number of Application Hearings taking place.

Description of Study: Studied the impact of the mediation program on the number of warrant application hearings being conducted.

Method: Examination of court records to determine the number of warrant application hearings and mediations being conducted.

Comparative: No

Sample Size: Not Provided

Variables Examined: Court activity (warrant application hearings)

Program Variables: Voluntary, free program in which parties were referred at the time the application hearing was scheduled.

Findings: Only 15% of all cases referred were mediated. Of those, 81% were resolved at mediation. The low number of mediations limited the impact on the number of warrant application hearings held.