<p>This thesis aims to answer the questions; what and were does peer mediation fit into the theoretical and practical frameworks of mediation? How does peer mediation fit into the retributive legal system as it stands today? What problems can arise with the use of peer mediation, its organizations and with the use of adolescent peer mediators, in a legal perspective? </p><p>When it comes to the question of where peer mediation has its theoretical framework the hypothesis in this thesis are that peer mediation, with respect to the practical framework, is a hybrid of the settlement driven mediation and the transformative mediation. The theoretical framework comes from the philosophy of restorative justice (RJ), primarily the victim-offender mediation in the sense that if peer mediation per se is not enough it has to bee a whole school approach for it to work. In RJ, the community is as important as the primarily parties, the offender and the offended. In school conflicts, the community is the whole school, and as such it has to bee the whole school that is involved in the conflict management program. </p><p>The method used in this thesis is the traditional method of jurisprudence combined with two case studies. The first case study is the "Peer mediations Project" that in fact was the starting point for the research. The aim with this case study is too show how peer mediation can work in Sweden, both on an organizational and a practical level. In doing so it also highlights which legal questions that is relevant for this thesis. The second case study is the "Spice conflict". This case study aims to make researcher go deeper in the legal issues as well as to illuminate a school conflict and how it can progress. </p><p>The fist chapter gives a background for peer mediation and the focus of this thesis, as well as the first contact with the two case studies. Chapter two gives a legal background for the thesis. Chapter three deals with conflict theory and chapter four with schools conflicts and the different programs there is to handle those conflicts. In chapter five the different mediations models are presented more in depth and discussed from at mediation perspective. Chapter six goes deeper into the second case study in an effort to resolve the legal issues that has arisen. In the last chapter there is a discussion which originates from the five Nordic principles of mediation, facilitative, peaceably, freely, confidently and restoratively, in conjunction whit mediation, conflict and legal theory.</p>

This thesis aims to answer the questions; what and were does peer mediation fit into the theoretical and practical frameworks of mediation? How does peer mediation fit into the retributive legal system as it stands today? What problems can arise with the use of peer mediation, its organizations and with the use of adolescent peer mediators, in a legal perspective? When it comes to the question of where peer mediation has its theoretical framework the hypothesis in this thesis are that peer mediation, with respect to the practical framework, is a hybrid of the settlement driven mediation and the transformative mediation. The theoretical framework comes from the philosophy of restorative justice (RJ), primarily the victim-offender mediation in the sense that if peer mediation per se is not enough it has to bee a whole school approach for it to work. In RJ, the community is as important as the primarily parties, the offender and the offended. In school conflicts, the community is the whole school, and as such it has to bee the whole school that is involved in the conflict management program. The method used in this thesis is the traditional method of jurisprudence combined with two case studies. The first case study is the "Peer mediations Project" that in fact was the starting point for the research. The aim with this case study is too show how peer mediation can work in Sweden, both on an organizational and a practical level. In doing so it also highlights which legal questions that is relevant for this thesis. The second case study is the "Spice conflict". This case study aims to make researcher go deeper in the legal issues as well as to illuminate a school conflict and how it can progress. The fist chapter gives a background for peer mediation and the focus of this thesis, as well as the first contact with the two case studies. Chapter two gives a legal background for the thesis. Chapter three deals with conflict theory and chapter four with schools conflicts and the different programs there is to handle those conflicts. In chapter five the different mediations models are presented more in depth and discussed from at mediation perspective. Chapter six goes deeper into the second case study in an effort to resolve the legal issues that has arisen. In the last chapter there is a discussion which originates from the five Nordic principles of mediation, facilitative, peaceably, freely, confidently and restoratively, in conjunction whit mediation, conflict and legal theory.

<p>Syftet med studien är att undersöka hur skolmedling kan ses som en effektiv och nyanseradmetod för konflikthantering i grundskolan. Vi tar även del av kompissamtal, som är en redanetablerad konflikthanteringsmetod i skolan för att på så sätt se hur skolmedling kan bli enkompletterande konflikthantering till detta. Studien bygger på tio intervjuer varav fem ärenskilda och de resterande är gruppintervjuer. Intervjufrågorna behandlar skolmedling utifrånperspektiv såsom frivillighet/ofrivillighet, medlarens neutralitet, distans/närhet, skam, makt,kön och ålder samt kritik/hinder. Det insamlade materialet visar att samtliga respondenterställer sig positiva till skolmedling som metod men att information och kunskapsspridning ommetoden är bristfällig. Utifrån materialet har även grundkomponenter framkommit för hur engivande skolmedling bör se ut enligt oss. Vidare i analysavsnittet behandlas tolkningar avmaterialet och socialpsykologiska perspektiv som skam, makt, sociala band ochkonflikthantering.</p> / <p>The purpose of this paper is to look at if mediation in school can be seen as an effective andfruitful method in conflict management in the elementary school. We also look into anestablished method in Swedish schools called “friend-talk” to see how mediation in schoolcan be a completing version of conflict management in schools. We base this study on teninterviews from which five were made individually and the others were made in groups. Theinterviews deal with mediation in school and it is based on the concepts of voluntariness/unvoluntariness, the mediators neutrality, distance/closeness, shame, power, gender and ageand criticism/obstacles. The collected material shows that all the respondents are positive tothe method but they consider the information and knowledge about the subject insufficient.From the material, crucial components arise for a profitable solution of mediation in school.Later on in the analysis, interpretations of the material will be based on social psychologicalperspectives like power, shame, social bonds and conflict management.</p>

Syftet med studien är att undersöka hur skolmedling kan ses som en effektiv och nyanseradmetod för konflikthantering i grundskolan. Vi tar även del av kompissamtal, som är en redanetablerad konflikthanteringsmetod i skolan för att på så sätt se hur skolmedling kan bli enkompletterande konflikthantering till detta. Studien bygger på tio intervjuer varav fem ärenskilda och de resterande är gruppintervjuer. Intervjufrågorna behandlar skolmedling utifrånperspektiv såsom frivillighet/ofrivillighet, medlarens neutralitet, distans/närhet, skam, makt,kön och ålder samt kritik/hinder. Det insamlade materialet visar att samtliga respondenterställer sig positiva till skolmedling som metod men att information och kunskapsspridning ommetoden är bristfällig. Utifrån materialet har även grundkomponenter framkommit för hur engivande skolmedling bör se ut enligt oss. Vidare i analysavsnittet behandlas tolkningar avmaterialet och socialpsykologiska perspektiv som skam, makt, sociala band ochkonflikthantering. / The purpose of this paper is to look at if mediation in school can be seen as an effective andfruitful method in conflict management in the elementary school. We also look into anestablished method in Swedish schools called “friend-talk” to see how mediation in schoolcan be a completing version of conflict management in schools. We base this study on teninterviews from which five were made individually and the others were made in groups. Theinterviews deal with mediation in school and it is based on the concepts of voluntariness/unvoluntariness, the mediators neutrality, distance/closeness, shame, power, gender and ageand criticism/obstacles. The collected material shows that all the respondents are positive tothe method but they consider the information and knowledge about the subject insufficient.From the material, crucial components arise for a profitable solution of mediation in school.Later on in the analysis, interpretations of the material will be based on social psychologicalperspectives like power, shame, social bonds and conflict management.