Since the passage of the Dispute Resolution Act in 1991, the Administrative Office of the Courts and Probation (AOCP), through the Office of Dispute Resolution (ODR), has provided funding, guidance, and oversight to approved mediation centers. These six approved centers provide mediation and restorative justice services to the Courts and Probation, as well as all Nebraskans. Their services include mediation and facilitation for child welfare and juvenile justice cases that are court involved. With funding through a federal grant, the centers are also providing “upstream” restorative justice services with a goal of keeping youth out of the court system, or reducing their time being court involved.

A feature article in the January/February 2023 issue of The Nebraska Lawyer outlines the legislation that created the mediation system in Nebraska, legislative changes through the years, and overview of the ODR and the court-connected services provided through the mediation center system. Read the full article at Nebraska’s Court-Connected ADR System.

Shared with permission from the author and the Nebraska State Bar Association, The Nebraska Lawyer (January/February 2023).