Mediation, not police, for campus protests

In a positive sign for the growing use of ADR, a new University of California draft report on campus civil disobedience urges UC police and administrators to put more emphasis on mediation instead of confrontation when dealing with student protests.

The UC report issued Friday, May 4, lists 50 policy recommendations to help guide the system’s future responses to campus protests. Among the recommendations, the report suggests that campus administrators be trained in de-escalation techniques that can be used in lieu of the police.

It’s the latest in a series of reports examining police use of pepper spray and batons during Occupy-related demonstrations on Berkeley and Davis campuses. The report also recommends developing internal student disciplinary measures instead of having protesters arrested and sent to the criminal justice system.