Giving police and courts a break: The effect of community mediation on decreasing the use of police and court resources

This study examines the effect of mediation on the use of court and police resources. Using self-reported data on cases that were mediated compared to cases not mediated, this research finds that participants in mediated cases are likely to decrease their use of court and law enforcement after mediation compared to participants in cases not mediated. This study uses the Heckman two-step model to respond to the possibility of selection bias and finds that the effect of mediation holds true even when accounting for possible selection bias.