Established in 1990, the Dispute Settlement Center (DSC) is a non-profit mediation agency offering skilled conflict resolution services. We aim to reduce crime, violence and the burden on the courts in Western Connecticut.

Mediation is facilitation of dialogue to resolve conflict. It is a voluntary process where a trained impartial person – a mediator – helps both sides listen to each other and assists the participants in reaching their own agreement. Operating throughout Western Connecticut, our mediators draw upon a rich background of education and life experiences. We have helped settle thousands of disputes over the years with over 85% of those parties who come to the table reaching an agreement. The disputes we handle deal with:

• Family conflicts such as visitation, parent-teen, and elder care.
• School discipline issues and early-stage PPT facilitation as well as training.
• Juvenile cases, such as in juvenile criminal court and Juvenile Review Boards. The restorative victim-offender dialogue allows offenders to be held accountable for their actions, and victims and their families to have a unique opportunity to have a direct influence in the justice system.
• Neighbor and land use related disputes, including noise, property line, traffic and construction issues from condo associations, neighbors and housing authorities as well as towns and police departments.
• Other court-based cases including adult criminal court and Child Protection.
• Housing Mediation including Eviction and Foreclosure Prevention.