MEDIATION IN THE FAMILY COURT OF AUSTRALIA

The chief justice of the Australian Family Court discusses the use of mediation in the Family Court of Australia. He traces the legislative origin and the basic purposes of the service. Of particular interest is the differentiation between mediation, conciliation, and the court process. The limitations are also discussed, especially the use of mediation in domestic violence situations.     

THE MANPOWER CRISIS IN THE JUVENILE COURT

The Joint Commission on Correctional Manpower and Training, strongly supported by state governors and with wide bipartisan backing in Congress, is the first attempt at a unified national approach to the increasingly serious problem of correctional rehabilitation. It has undertaken a far-ranging threeyear study which will lead to a series of action programs and legislative recommendations on federal, state and local levels. Our National Council is a member. The author is our representative on the Commission.     

MEDIATION IN THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY SUPERIOR COURT JUVENILE DEPENDENCY COURT

This article presents the results of a 9-month interdisciplinary task force convened to review the mediation process in the juvenile dependency court and to develop guidelines for its operation by the conciliation court, stemming from a grand jury recommendation.     

RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE COMMITTEE TO STUDY FAMILY ISSUES IN THE ARIZONA SUPERIOR COURT

Justice 2002, a strategic agenda for the Arizona court system over the next five years, has the goal to build public trust confidence in the Arizona courts. A focus of Justice 2002 is the protection of children, families, and communities. One of the number of projects that have been initiated is the establishment of The Committee to Study Family Issues in the Superior Court (Committee). On October 22, 1997, Chief Justice Thomas A. Zlaket established the Committee and charged the members to: "[E]xamine the manner in which cases involving family issues, including cases involving minor children, presently are processed and determined in the Superior Court,… leading to improvement in the manner in which these cases are resolved in the court system; and report to the Arizona Judicial Council its findings and recommendations…" This article is a summarization of the Final Report presented to the Arizona Judicial Council (AJC) in December, 1998. The reader will find that the report is rather general. The Committee has functioned under the assumption that an implementation committee would be formed to work out the details, should the AJC choose to adopt the recommendation to establish a Family Court in Arizona.     

THE SUPREME COURT OF JUSTICE OF THE REPUBLIC OF AUSTRIA

The aim of this article is to give an overview of the tasks and the function of the Supreme Court of Justice in interaction with the other two “Highest Courts” of the Republic of Austria on the one hand, and the European Court of Human Rights as well as the Court of Justice of the European Union on the other hand. For this purpose introductory remarks will examine the Austrian understanding of the judiciary as a state power and judicial independence. The closing part of the article will particularly look into the role of the Supreme Court as highest instance in criminal matters.