When mediation places decision-making power in the hands of lay disputants it raises troubling issues. Can justice be delivered without judicial assistance? What is the effect on the legal system? And how should outcomes thus achieved be regarded? Critics have tended to answer negatively, pointing to a range of harms including individual oppression and the vanishing trial. Such views, focusing too narrowly on conformity to legal norms, overlook ordinary people's capacity for justice reasoning. A recent Scottish pilot study of small-claims mediation parties illustrates the richness and complexity of their thinking around whether, and for how much, to settle. This suggests that mediation settlements, rather than representing second-class justice, may enhance the legitimacy of the legal system. Implications for theories of justice are considered.

中文翻译：

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“外行”人对正义了解多少？实证调查

当调解将决策权置于非专业争议者手中时，就会引发令人不安的问题。没有司法协助能伸张正义吗？对法律制度有何影响？应该如何看待这样取得的成果？批评者倾向于否定回答，指出包括个人压迫和消失审判在内的一系列危害。这种观点过于狭隘地关注法律规范的一致性，忽视了普通人的正义推理能力。苏格兰最近对小额索赔调解方的一项试点研究表明，他们对是否和解以及解决多少的想法的丰富性和复杂性。这表明调解解决，而不是代表二等司法，可能会增强法律制度的合法性。考虑了对正义理论的影响。