Straipsnyje nagrinėjamos atkuriamojo teisingumo koncepcijos įgyvendinimo galimybės penitencinėje sistemoje, ypač akcentuojant įkalinimo įstaigas. Remiamasi kriminologijos bei viktimologijos mokslų laimėjimais, sukurtais ir praktikoje taikomais atkuriamojo teisingumo (toliau- AT) modeliais. Straipsnyje siekiama kuo plačiau išnagrinėti atkuriamojo teisingumo įgyvendinimo galimybes penitencinėje sistemoje, neapsiribojant tik itin paplitusiais AT modeliais (pvz., nukentėjusiojo ir nusikaltusiojo mediacija, konferencija). Atkuriamasis teisingumas analizuojamas platesniu kontekstu, į tyrimo dalyką įtraukiant atskiras bendruomenines nuteistųjų korekcines, edukacines programas, taip pat įkalinimo įstaigas, besivadovaujančias atkuriamojo teisingumo koncepcija. Straipsnyje remiamasi nuostata, kad atkuriamasis teisingumas gali būti indikatorius, parodantis, kiek penitencinė sistema stengiasi išlaikyti nuteistųjų socialinius santykius, sustiprinti pozityvius tarpasmeninius ryšius, įgyvendinti restitucinius sprendimus ir kt. Iš esmės atkuriamasis teisingumas parodo bendrą šalies socialinių santykių bei visuomeninio gyvenimo kokybę, kuri, pažeista dėl padarytų nusikaltimų, turi būti kiekvieną kartą atkuriama, taikant atskirus AT modelius.

Straipsnyje mokslinės ir kitos (statistinės, dokumentų) literatūros analizės ir empirinio tyrimo pagrindu siekiama atskleisti socialinių darbuotojų požiūrį į mediacijos (tarpininkavimo) metodo taikymą socialinių paslaugų organizacijose, aptariami pasirinkto tyrimo teoriniai aspektai, pagrindžiama mediacijos samprata kaip prielaida taikiu būdu spręsti konfliktus, pateikiama informacija apie mediacijos metodo įgyvendinimo socialinių paslaugų organizacijoje etapus. Tyrimas atliktas taikant apklausą raštu, naudojant atvirojo tipo klausimyną. Tyrimo im tis – 4 socialiniai darbuotojai, išklausę įžanginius mediacijos mokymų kursus, darbe taikantys mediacijos metodą ir dirbantys socialinių paslaugų organizacijose. Tyrimas patvirtino teorinius mediacijos metodo taikymo teiginius, jog socialiniame darbe dažniausiai sprendžiami socialiniai konfliktai, kurie yra tarpasmeninio ir bendruomeninio pobūdžio. Nors poreikis taikyti mediacijos metodą yra pozityvus ir geranoriškas, tačiau šis metodas taikomas tik pavieniams atvejams. Socialiniai darbuotojai, taikantys mediacijos me todą, susiduria su skirtingu socialinių paslaugų organizacijų vadovų požiūriu, nors dauguma pabrėžia geranoriškumą ir pritaria, bet yra ir skeptiško, abejingo požiūrio, o kolegos dažniausiai užima negatyvią arba nesidomėjimo poziciją. Socialinių paslaugų organizacijų klientai, nors dažniausiai ir nežino apie mediacijos metodą, paaiškinus jiems suprantama kalba, teisingai supranta, motyvuotai dalyvauja ir būna patenkinti gautu rezultatu. Socialiniai darbuotojai, pradėję taikyti mediacijos metodą socialinių paslaugų organizacijoje, akcentuoja šio metodo taikymo pranašumus kaip galimybę sėkmingai spręsti konfliktus taikiu būdu pradinėje jų stadijoje ne tik klientams, bet ir darbuotojų ginčams ir siūlo socialinių paslaugų organizacijų steigėjams ir vadovams inicijuoti ir įgyvendinti mediacijos metodo taikymą.

In this study the peculiarities of school mediation is presented, the possible performance benchmarks of a social pedagogue while applies the mediation in his work are discussed. Goal of this study – to research the application of mediation in a social pedagogue’s work. It was achieve by means of comparative analysis of documents and scientific literature. Analysis of scientific literature allowed hypothesize that conflicts in school may be effectively managed when the social pedagogue applies the mediation in his work. However, the fact is that in Lithuania the social pedagogues don’t put in to practice the school mediation. During analysis of documents and scientific literature were identified these potential roles of social pedagogue’s who applies the mediation in his work: the coordinator of peer mediation program, who directs the participants of the conflict to mediation; the mediator who decides the schoolchildren(s) and teacher(s) conflicts or peer violence; the mediator between the child and family, the child and the child’s state institutions.

In the modern society it is increasing attention to the effective conflict management in schools, but in Lithuania there is one of the biggest scale of bullying in Europe, children and youth aggression which shows that there is still not found appropriate measures to solve these problems. The aim of this article is to discuss innovative methods of conflict management in schools integrating mediation in social pedagogy. Research methods: analysis of the literature, documents and the questionnaire of social educators (questionnaire). The study on the social teachers’ approach to the existing school conflicts working in various schools of general education, their management techniques and mediation integration in social pedagogy possibilities revealed that at schools they daily faced with the disagreements of the students (this was stated by almost half of the respondents), and to the solution of these disagreements the social teachers devoted considerable time: a third of respondents devotes 4 hours for the conflict management or more hours a week, a quarter – 2–3 hours a week. These results reveal the need of the innovative ways of conflict management in schools, integrating mediation in social pedagogy, to ensure a constructive conflict management and a consistent and long-term effect.

Administrative Disputes, which arises between public administration agencies and private parties, is one of the areas which belong to administrative process. In most cases procedure starts by conducting internal reviews. However practice shows that internal reviews are just a beginning of long administrative procedure, which finally finishes in administrative courts. Such a long procedure is one of the reasons why society distrusts government agencies and court system. Therefore, in order to change current situation, state have to search for the alternatives means to traditional administrative complaint hearings. The solution of this problem, could be mediation, which main features such as flexibility, cost-effective, confidentiality, restoration of social and legal peace, would change current situation. Mediation in solving administrative disputes between private parties and public administration agencies is popular in United States. However, in continental Europe, mediation as an alternative to traditional administrative disputes resolution, is viewed with caution. Lithuania is not exception to continental Europe countries. However because of the changes in public needs and the caseloads in administrative courts, ability of using mediation in Lithuanian Republic administrative process, has to be analyzed by making comprehensive scientific research. Mediation is popular in resolving civil law disputes, where the civil law principles and mediation principles perfectly interact with each other. Meanwhile, when dispute arises in administrative process, parties must use administrative law and process principles. It is not clear, whether mediation principles or its advantages could prevail. Also it is not clear, whether mediation could be used in disputes, which arises concerning individual and general administrative acts. [...]

This article aims to confirm or disconfirm the hypothesis that social media acquire ever greater importance in contemporary society and that social networking websites such as Facebook and Twitter are fashioning a new form of passive (peaceful) resistance. Can the experiences gained on the platform of social media be transformed into actions in real physical spaces, or is it the case that, on the contrary, social media promote the formation only of exclusively virtual internet movements of protest because individuals no longer feel the need for participating in real mass demonstrations, meetings, and protest actions? The latter case would explain the appearance of such phenomena as slacktivism, lazy activism, clicktivism, armchair activism, and keyboard activism.

This article analyzes the norms and forms of the diplomatic ceremonial that secured and maintained the interstate relations existing between the continuously quarreling Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Muscovy. Attention is paid particularly to the ceremonial‘s mediating function found at various levels of formal interaction – governing the monarch‘s representation and hierarchical communication, ceremonies of festive receptions and meetings accompanying every phase of contact. Thus in the chosen time-frame of Lithuanian and Muscovite diplomatic relations we were looking not for situations revealing the nature and extent of interstate conflicts but for cases exhibiting the mediational function. The diplomatic ceremonial performed the mediating function for differences between the states by first of all creating an order for diplomatic relations in the form of mutually recognized roles for the participants in diplomatic communication through formal interaction, thus ensuring communicational efficacy. This helped the ruler to preserve the positions appropriate to his status in communicating with the representatives of another sovereign, while also helping the latter properly to represent their own monarch. Secondly, the ceremonial softened states of conflict, most often by formally masking existing differences between the two sides or providing opportunities for other forms of contact. Finally, it helped overcome limits of political and social otherness existing between both states and their societies and sanctioned changes in forms of interstate coexistence.

Mediation procedures started to be applied in Lithuania more than a decade ago. They made premises for discussions about mediators’ duties and their volume in mediation. Although mediation in Lithuania is not widely applied, discussions about the quality of mediation procedures and the suitability of mediators’ qualification arise. In the USA and Canada, where these procedures are widely applied, it is acknowledged that it is purposeful to analyse the civil liability of a mediator. However, in Lithuania the question of civil liability of a mediator has not been comprehensively discussed in the doctrine of law or judicial practice. Civil liability of mediator might arise while breaking the main duties in the process: confidence, impartiality, neutrality, mediator competence, legal actions, proper mediation documents. The list of duties is not complete since the question of civil liability might arise while breaking other duties. Civil liability has to be considered individually in each situation. Immunity of mediator in different countries is different (absolute, partial, contractual). Absolute immunity of mediator is mostly acknowledged in the states of common law. For example, in some states of the USA. Usually, court mediators have absolute immunity, but in some states (Florida) private mediators have such immunity as well. Absolute immunity should be applied in spite of the fact that mediators do not have a decisive power in mediation procedure. In application of partial immunity, parties in mediation procedure have the right to demand civil liability of mediator because of illegal, deliberate actions. At the same time a mediator is protected from civil liability as he cannot be sued for making accidental or unpremeditated mistakes in mediation process. Immunity of mediator might be provided in mediation agreement, too. [...]

The media have become one of the most important means of representing social reality, while mediated communication definitely affects our daily lives, identities and interactions. Accelerating processes of mediatization require social and cultural institutions to act in accordance with the rules of the new media, especially in communicating with their audiences and target groups. The increasing role of the media in shaping public opinion, consciousness and perception shows that the culture sector is increasingly encouraged to focus on the media. In the context of mediatization processes, the media as modus operandi affect cultural practices and social institutions, and encourage them to act according to the new market rules, and communicate with the target groups through different communication tools. In a mediated cyberspace, the development, distribution and consumption of culture products is also changing. Mediatization theory addressed in the article provides with a conceptual framework which is applied in the analysis of media and communication transformations taking place in culture sector.