Following the referral from Juvenile Intake, the project coordinator compiles the necessary information and assigns the case to two mediators. They, in turn, contact the offender to determine if he or she wishes to participate in the process. If the offender agrees to participate, an appointment is made with the victim. If all parties determine that mediation is feasible, it is scheduled with a team of two mediators. The main purpose is to reach a reconciliation between the victim and offender.
Mediators function as neutral facilitators of the process.
Contracts for restitution resulting from the mediation are monitored by the project coordinator, with the intake officer informed of the final outcome. If a contract is not successfully completed, the intake officer makes a decision about further action on the case. Initially the couple were resistant to mediation because of fear that meeting the offender would result in becoming known to the offender. They came to realize the irrationality of this fear because the offender obviously already did know where they lived. With the mediators present, the couple were able to ask questions of the offender and the offender was also able to explain his behavior.