Who We Are
Community Mediation Maryland (CMM) is a coalition of 15 grassroots mediation programs serving throughout the state of Maryland. Centers provide free mediation services for neighborhood, family, business, school, and personal conflicts. Centers work in partnership with courts, schools, grassroots organizations, and government agencies to ensure access to mediation at any stage of a conflict. CMM supports local centers through training, technical support, and an AmeriCorps program. CMM finds new uses for mediation to respond to social challenges where relationships matter as part of the solution. CMM has developed the re-entry mediation program in partnership with the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services and has been providing services since 2008.
CLOSING PRISON'S
REVOLVING DOOR
Click on the links below to find out more about Community Mediation Maryland, Prisoner Re-Entry, and other programs offered.
Re-Entry Mediation Program
Criminal justice research highlights the importance of family and other positive relationships in reducing recidivism. Re-entry mediation provides an opportunity for a person who is incarcerated and their family members or other support people to meet, with the help of a non-judgmental mediator, before release. This meeting allows them to have an open, honest, and often difficult dialogue to prepare for the transition back into the community. Sometimes there is lingering conflict from before the incarceration. Sometimes there is resentment, anger, and shame as a result of the charge or things which took place during the incarceration. Re-entry mediation allows everyone involved to talk about their experiences, be heard by each other, and establish a plan on how to move forward productively before the individual is released. Re-entry mediation provides a chance to manage divergent expectations for all participants through a discussion of issues and resolution of, or prevention of, conflicts.
By rebuilding relationships between returning citizens and family or support people in the community, Prisoner Re-entry Mediation taps into the resources indigenous to the community, strengthens these connections, and allows for collaborative transition planning, involving the people returning home and their family members.
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Having one mediation session reduces the risk of recidivism by 10%. Three sessions makes a person returning to society from prison 22% less likely to end up back behind bars.