These programs encourage people to settle their disputes out of court. Are they merely another social service maintaining the status quo, or are they a vehicle for social change? A key to answering this question is the ability of a program to look beyond the immediate individual problems presented in a conflict to broad, community-wide issues. Of the three models of dispute resolution programs -court-, agency-, and community-sponsored programs -- the community-based type of program is judged to be the one with the potential for enabling social change. (Author abstract)