State-Level Associations: An Emerging Trend in Community Mediation

State-level mediation associations (SMAs) in more than twenty states may play an important role in the further development of community mediation by addressing many of the prevailing needs in the field regard-ing networking, access to resources, and quality control. This chapter is a qualitative exploration into the function and range of activities of SMAs and factors facilitating or challenging their development. In the field of community mediation, state-level mediation associations(SMAs) that support community-based dispute resolution programs (CDRPs) are an emerging phenomenon across the United States. Such associations are currently present in at least twenty-one states (“Statewide Organizations..., ” 2000). In a report of the issues and practices of com-munity mediation programs to the U.S. Department of Justice, McGillis (1997) described these associations as created for the purposes of encour-aging development of new community mediation programs; assisting pro-grams to gain funding; providing opportunities for technical assistance, networking, and training; and creating a state-level forum for discussion o