Week 3- Oct. 10th

For today's work, I began learning how the phone system works. At times I will be the only person there to answer calls and it is necessary to have a good grasp of how to take messages appropriately. Many people receive calls and organization is important. I made a couple calls to mediators inquiring about case updates. I am enjoying the communication aspect of this position. I am required to stay in contact with many individuals to ensure things are on schedule. For a majority of my time at CMS I was taking old files and calling the victims and offenders to ask them if they were willing to participate in a brief survey on their experience in their mediation- how the process was for them. I think I only spoke with about 7 out of 20 cases, but I was able to get an array of responses. The responses ranged from being highly positive about the mediation process to be extremely disappointed with the process. Both of the parents in those examples had extremely different views based on the situation of their child. One response from a father who had been present at the mediation with his son made me feel very warm-hearted. The father explained how happy he was to see his son take accountability in his actions and look his victim in the eye and come up with his own ideas for reparations. It is amazing to see the benefits that come out of this process, not just with the juvenile offender, but the victims and the parents.

Week 2- Oct. 3rd

Today we went over case files; how they are created, how they are organized, and what is included. I was very interested in the police reports that come with the DYS files on the juvenile offenders. It is nice to see the facts as they appear to the police versus what the children have to say about their stories. I noticed that many of the cases are boys, not all but a majority. This seems like an obvious implication, that boys are more deviant that girls. I wonder if there is a structural flaw in our society that influences young boys to act in mischievous ways. The cases I observed and discussed with Lysbeth that involve girls, often are related to issues around the boyfriend or ex-boyfriend of one of the girls. I am learning what cases are commonly sent to CMS and how CMS decides who will mediate them. Pairing up veteran mediators with new mediators is common practice and I am eager to observe and get one step closer to mediating myself.

Week One- Sept. 26th

For my first day of interning Lysbeth went over my expected duties, how the office runs, and what will be expected of me over the next ten weeks. I became acquainted with the case logging system used there, known as MADTrack. The system is used to track offenders and victims and take down notes about the case's progress. Ultimately, CMS will publish a monthly report to be given to DYS as a way for them to track how the cases are progressing. I think MADTrack is a bit complicated to use, but I appreciate its purpose in tracking cases and keeping us accountable in staying on schedule with cases. I am very eager to experience a case from start to finish and sit in on the mediation itself. After experiencing the mediation training, I am very excited to be able to witness an actual mediation between offender and victim. Even after a short day in the CMS office, I find myself feeling very appreciative in my small role and what this program does for the community.