The Justice Crisis

Unfulfilled legal needs are at a tipping point in many parts of the Canadian justice system and around the world. The Justice Crisis assesses what is and isnt working in an effort to improve a fundamental right of democratic citizenship: access to civil and family justice. Meaningful access is often a question of providing pathways to resolving everyday legal issues. The availability of justice services that arent only tied to the courts and lawyers such as public education on the law, alternative dispute settlement, and paralegal support is therefore an important concern. Contributors to this wide-ranging overview of new empirical research address several key justice issues: the extent and cost of unmet legal needs; the role of public funding; connections between legal and social exclusion among vulnerable populations; the value of new legal pathways; the provision of justice services beyond the courts and lawyers; and the need for a culture change within the justice system. Their findings can inform initiatives to improve access to justice within the Canadian system and beyond.