Research and Evaluation

MACRO provides tools and assistance to courts for data collection to facilitate quality assurance and program evaluation. We also conduct research and contract with universities to perform independent research to inform our practice and field.

MACRO supports multiple methods of data collection for courts with alternative dispute resolution (ADR) programs. We have an online survey tool that can be used for both remote and in-person ADR processes. Our Alternative Dispute Resolution Evaluation Support System (ADRESS) allows courts to scan paper surveys collected
during in-person ADR and access customized reports. More information about ADRESS can be found here.

Courts should contact MACRO’s Research & Evaluation Director at 410-260-3551 or [email protected] for access to the data collection tools.

• Alternative Dispute Resolution Data Summary Fiscal Year 2022

  This report examines the alternative dispute resolution (ADR) data collected by the District Court, circuit courts, and Appellate Court of Maryland (ACM) in fiscal year 2022. The data were analyzed by court, case type (domestic/family or civil, non-domestic), and the way in which ADR was held (remote or in person). Three measures of effectiveness were studied: settlement data, public experience, and the impact of technology. (Full report)

MACRO uses the data collected from courts to support analysis and enhancements of ADR programs.

• An Analysis of Judicial Referrals to ADR in the District Court of Maryland (2018)

  The District Court of Maryland, with support from the Maryland Judiciary’s Mediation and Conflict Resolution Office (MACRO), commissioned a research study with Salisbury University’s Bosserman Center for Conflict Resolution to understand how statements made by judges in the courtroom impact the likelihood that people accept or decline to use alternative dispute resolution (ADR). (Two-page summary) (Full study)

• Impact of Alternative Dispute Resolution on Responsibility, Empowerment, Resolution, and Satisfaction with the Judiciary: Comparison of Short– and Long-Term Outcomes in District Court Civil Cases (2016)

  This study compared the attitudes and changes in attitudes of District Court litigants who went through ADR to an equivalent comparison group who went through the standard court process. (Two-page summary) (Full report)

• What Works in District Court Day of Trial Mediation: Effectiveness of Various Mediation Strategies on Short- and Long-Term Outcomes (2016)

  This study examined the effect of mediator strategies (i.e. techniques) and program factors on case outcomes in day of trial mediations in the Maryland District Court. (Two-page summary) (Full report)

• What Works in Child Access Mediation: Effectiveness of Various Mediator Strategies on Short- and Long-Term Outcomes (2016)

  This study examined the effect of mediator strategies (i.e., techniques) in child custody cases in three Maryland circuit courts. (Two-page summary) (Full report)

• Criminal Court — Impact of Mediation on Criminal Misdemeanor Cases (2016)

  This study examined the effect in terms of cost to the court system for cases which are referred to mediation compared to cases which are not referred to mediation. It also explores the effect on the participants regarding how the situation has worked out for them. (Two-page summary) (Full report)

• Alternative Dispute Resolution Landscape: An Overview of ADR in the Maryland Court System (2014) (Full report)

• Collaborative Law: The Current and Prospective Use of Collaborative Law in Maryland (2013)

  This report presents the emerging area of collaborative law through an examination of previous research in this area, and through interviews and surveys of court personnel and attorneys practicing collaborative law in Maryland. (Full report)

• Use of Mediation in Workers’ Compensation Cases (2002)

  The Maryland Judiciary’s Mediation and Conflict Resolution Office (MACRO) commissioned independent researchers to study the effects of mediation in workers’ compensation cases. This was a rigorous, scientific evaluation of the effect of mediation in these cases, conducted by the Maryland Institute for Policy Analysis and Research at UMBC. (Full report)

• Remote Mediation and Access for People with Disabilities

  We are interested in what barriers are removed by remote mediation and whether new barriers are being created. Data collection will be completed in 2023.