Following an overview of mediation, a history of mediation in the United States notes that mediation centers have developed both as programs based in the criminal justice system and as community-based programs. The 4-year effort that led to New York's establishment in 1981 of a State-funded network of community-based dispute resolution centers is described. A discussion of issues that must be faced in starting a mediation program focuses on sources of referrals, types of cases to include and exclude, the use of volunteers, and the need to balance professionalism and an informal atmosphere. Representatives of several mediation programs in New York State note that the main problems involved in operating these programs are staff burnout, large caseloads, difficulties in finding volunteer mediators, and the need to be conscious of security. The ways in which the Special Committee on Dispute Resolution of the American Bar Association acts as facilitator and promoter for dispute resolution in the United States are explained. Other issued examined include methods of research and evaluation of alternative dispute resolution programs, recruitment and training of mediators, and the elements necessary for a successful neighborhood justice system, based on the experience of the Community Boards Program in San Francisco. For individual articles, see NCJ-92472-80.