NVMS partners with local law enforcement agencies to provide alternative dispute resolution services to community members, free of charge for up to four (4) hours of conflict resolution services.

Services            

• Mediation: a process in which a trained mediator, impartial to the outcome of a conflict, facilitates communication between the parties and, without deciding the issues or imposing a solution, enables them to create a mutually agreeable resolution.  
• Conciliation (A Go-Between): a process in which an impartial conciliator facilitates settlement of a conflict by clarifying issues and serving as an intermediary for negotiations in a manner generally more informal and less structured than mediation.  
• Conflict Exploration: a process where the conflict engagement practitioner only works with one party in a conflict. The practitioner explores with that party a range of options that have helped others in difficult situations and conversations.  The party is then free to choose the approach(s) that may work best for their situation.
• Restorative Justice: Restorative Justice (Accountability Conferencing & Victim/Offender Mediation) – “victim”-centered processes that support offender accountability.  A conference brings together the victim and the victim’s family and friends, and others impacted by the offense, with the offender and his or her family and supporters, in a facilitated dialogue.  The trained, neutral conference facilitators – who are also members of the community – provide a safe and confidential environment for participants to review the facts of the offense, learn how each person was affected, and decide how to repair the harm.   

Types of issues

Business services, neighborhood disputes, noise, parking, roommates, pets, respect, communication, co-parenting, contracts, trash, youth, family, and others.

Program Goals

The Police-Referred Mediation Program aims to provide law enforcement officers with a free and effective conflict resolution resource to share with community members in conflict, offering an alternative to traditional enforcement methods and fostering positive interactions. For the community, the program offers a free, non-adversarial option for resolving disputes, empowering individuals to address conflicts collaboratively through dialogue and mutual understanding.

Contact Information

For more information, contact us at PRM@nvms.us or call 703-639-4378

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Points of view or opinions in this document are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.

Partners include Virginia Tech’s Center for Peace Studies and Violence Prevention and participating law enforcement agencies.

This is an equal opportunity (EO) project that does not discriminate on the basis of disability or any other protected class of person. EO complaints please contact info@resolutionvirginia.org or info@nvms.us.

This website is funded in whole or in part through a grant from the Bureau of Justice Assistance, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. Neither the U.S. Department of Justice nor any of its components operate, control, are responsible for, or necessarily endorse, this Web site (including, without limitation, its content, technical infrastructure, and policies, and any services or tools provided).