AccessingJusticeintheContemporaryUSA-AmericanBar.PDFVIP

ACCESSING JUSTICE IN THE CONTEMPORARY USA: FINDINGS FROM THE CO MMUNITY NEEDS AND SERVICES STUDY REBECCA L. SANDEFUR AMERICAN BAR FOUNDATION UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN © 2014 Rebecca L. Sandefur For release August 8, 2014. Accessing Justice in the Contemporary USA: Findings from the Community Needs and Servi ces Study Table of Contents Executive Summary 3 Researching Civil Justice in the Contemporary USA: The Community Needs and Services Study 4 How Common are Different Kinds of Civil Justice Situations, and Who Experiences Them? 7 What Are the Impacts of Civil Justice Situations? 9 What Do People Do When They Face Civil Justice Situations? 11 How Do People Understand Civil Justice Situations? 14 What Do People Believe About Justice in the USA Today? 15 Conclusion 16 Acknowledgements 17 2 | P a g e Accessing Justice in the Contemporary USA: Findings from the Community Needs and Servi ces Study Executive Summary A new study of the civil justice experiences of the American public, the Community Needs and Services Study, finds widespread incidence of events and situations that have civil legal aspects, raise civil legal issues and are potentially actionable under civil law. Most are handled outside the context of the formal justice system. These events are common and can be severe in their impacts. People experiencing these situations typically do not receive assistance from lawyers or other formal third parties. In 2013, two-thirds (66%) of a random sample of adults in a middle-sized American city reported experiencing at least one of 12 different categories of civil justice situations in the previous 18 months. For the whole sample,