There are three primary criteria to determine the appropriateness of the parties and case for restorative mediaton. 

1. Determine whether the facts of the situation are clear enough so that all participants agree that one or more persons are responsible for causing injuries to another person.  If so, restorative mediation  may be appropriate and the parties should be screened to determine if the process is viable.
2. Determine whether one or more of the participants are angry about what happened and would like to have an apology, an explanation about why it happened, and how it can be prevented in the future.
3. Determine if the relationship between the participants has been negatively affected and whether they would like to repair or maintain the former relationship.