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22 The Mediation Process This agency was mandated to help "communities and persons therein in resolving disputes, disagreements, or difficulties re- lating to discriminatory practices based on race, color, or na- tional origin" (Title X, Civil Rights Act, 1964). The agency assists people in resolving disputes through negotiation and mediation rather than having them utilize the streets or the judi- cial system. CRS works throughout the country on such issues as school desegregation and public-accommodation cases. In 1978, a team from CRS mediated the dispute that erupted when a neo-Nazi political group announced its int;:ntion to demonstrate in Skokie, a predominantly Jewish suburb of Chi- cago (Salem, 1984). Diverse state agencies, civil rights commissions, and pri- vate agencies also use mediation to handle charges of sex, race, and ethnic discrimination conflicts (Chalmers and Cormick, 1971; Kwartler, 1980; "Municipal Human Relations Commis- sions ... ," 1966). Since the mid 1960s, mediation has grown significantly as a formal and widely practiced approach to dispute resolution. In the community sector, the federal government funds Neigh- borhood Justice Centers (NJCs) that provide free or low-cost mediation services to the public to resolve disputes efficiently, inexpensively, and informally. Many of these NJCs are institu- tionalized and have become part of city, court, or district attor- ney programs for alternative dispute resolution. Some commu- nity programs are independent of governmental agencies and offer a grass roots independent dispute resolution service in which community members sit on mediation or conciliation panels and help neighbors resolve their disputes (Shonholtz, 1984). Mediation is also practiced in schools and institutions of higher education. In this setting, disputes are mediated among students, such as the potentially violent interracial conflict han- dled by Lincoln (1976); between students and faculty; between faculty members; or between faculty and administration (McCarthy, 1980; McCarthy and others, 1984). The criminal justice system also utilizes mediation to re- solve criminal complaints (Felsteiner and Williams, 1978) and