Conflict Resolution Education - National Criminal Justice Reference ...

Low self-esteem, which is common among youth in
juvenile facilities, is often the source of these conflicts.
For many of these youth, bullying or “putting
down” someone is the only means of achieving status
among peers. As a counselor in a juvenile facility
remarked, “These kids don’t know how to walk
away from a fight without losing face.”
Virtually all of our young men are gang
affiliated and come from families where
conflict was resolved through abuse or
violence. . . . Conflict management goes
beyond stabilizing the institution; it gives
the youth a chance to take on a positive
role, learn verbal skills, and overcome
violent tendencies. It not only benefits
the kids, but also the community to which
they will return.
Juvenile facility director, Camp Miller,
Los Angeles County
Types of Conflicts Not Handled
Conflict managers are not asked to intervene in a
violent confrontation, especially when weapons are
involved. After the heat of the battle has passed, the
disputants may meet with conflict managers to find
ways to avoid further violence.
Other matters typically excluded from conflict manager
attention are disputes between staff and wards.
Handling such conflicts may raise staff objections
and other programmatic challenges, especially in
the case of new programs. However, because some
high school mediation programs have successfully
handled teacher-student conflicts, it may be possible
for juvenile facility programs to expand into this area.
Conflict Manager Selection
Conflict managers are selected jointly by staff and
wards to ensure they will have the respect and support
of both groups. Generally, the members of each
group are asked to make nominations. Staff then
review the list of wards who have received the greatest
number of nominations and select 12 to 15 out of
49
this group to enter training. The wards who become
conflict managers are seen as leaders by their
peers, but frequently “negative” leaders are nominated
by their peers and approved by staff. This
is done because experience as a conflict manager
often draws out the talent of negative leaders,
allowing them to make a positive contribution to
the facility.
Conflict Manager Training
Because of ward turnover, training for new conflict
managers is conducted every few months. Often current
conflict managers are asked to assist in training
those who are new. Ongoing meetings among conflict
managers are held to provide further training, assessment
of the program, and group discussions.
During their training, conflict managers learn basic
communication skills, such as helping disputants feel
comfortable in talking, listening in a way that will
defuse anger, and speaking to disputants in a direct
but diplomatic way. They also learn about the threestage
conflict management process—the goals of
each stage, the questions to ask at each stage, and
methods of handling common problems.
Conflict Manager Supervision
Because training in this model should be considered
an ongoing process, staff coordinators for the Conflict
Manager program meet with the managers for
at least 1 hour every week so that they can share
their experiences and talk about problems they have
encountered in their work. If time allows, conflict
managers are asked to role-play a difficult case and
discuss it together.
Potential Benefits of Conflict Manager
Programs
Conflict Manager programs reduce tensions and
save staff time by taking care of conflicts that would
otherwise absorb hours of their day. At the same
time, wards who participate in conflict management
sessions are positively affected because they have
the opportunity to experience new ways of dealing
with conflict. Also, by resolving conflict constructively
before it escalates or requires a counselor,