Justice
Research Topic
Language: English
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Research problems linked to this topic
- How accurate is the proven reoffending rate and how does it vary by different groups? How and why does reoffending vary by reoffending propensity?
- How do we best assist early advice and support services to deal with changes in legal need in the population and the demand for services? How do we measure the impact of early advice on short, medium, and longer-term outcomes, and the economic costs and benefits?
- Where are the notable gaps in the provision of legal advice and support, and how can we best intervene to help fill them? How do different advice and support services interact, share information, and refer individuals between organisations?
- Improving victim and witness interactions with the police service, particularly in relation to violent crime and serious sexual offences
- How can we better understand drivers of demand in the justice system, so that we support early problem resolution where appropriate, whilst ensuring the formal justice system is accessible to those who need it?
- How does the use of secure digital recording devices in Voluntary Attender Interviews with suspects impact interview quality, investigation outcome and jury decisions?
- What are the best practices for conducting pre-interview assessments to identify vulnerability or intimidation to determine appropriate ‘special measures’ and communication?
- How do we improve legal awareness and capability in the population, so that people are able to identify they have a legal problem and seek appropriate help?
- How might technology shape the future requirements of, and services offered by, the legal profession and sector? How can LawTech and innovation support greater access to justice?
- How do geographical and demographic factors affect legal aid awareness and uptake? How does legal aid uptake vary by eligibility?
- How do different individuals and groups perceive their experiences of legal aid services? How does this vary by the nature of their legal problem, advice and support acquired, jurisdiction and outcome?
- What are the needs and experiences of victims, defence witnesses, and those in distressing civil, family, or tribunal cases? How does this vary by protected characteristics, socio-economic or socio-demographic background and jurisdiction?
- What are the outcomes of receiving legal aid, and how do they vary by the type of service and time at which they were provided? What are the long-term outcomes for those who access and those who do not, but are eligible for legal aid?
- Which groups struggle most to resolve their justice problems, either through inaction or difficulty accessing the justice system and wider support services?
- To what extent do alternative dispute resolutions – particularly mediation – affect outcomes for those involved? What works, for whom, to incentivise and deliver positive and sustainable outcomes?
- Barriers to prosecution and seizure of illicit profits, and approaches to ensuring victims receive adequate financial compensation through civil and criminal routes.
- How do geographic, demographic, cultural, and other factors affect people’s ability to resolve their legal problems?
- How well understood are entitlements under the Victims’ Code, including special measures and access to support services? How effective are these and how could we improve their effectiveness?
- What are the enablers and barriers to the effective operation of approved premises? For which individuals are approved premises most effective, and why?
- What are people’s experiences of dealing with justice problems? How can they be supported to access and navigate the justice system, enforce their rights, and achieve the best outcomes? How does this vary by problem type, level of legal capability, and awareness of support?
- How prevalent is repeat victimisation and who does it affect? What is the overlap between being a victim and committing an offence, and how does this vary by, for example, crime type and demographic characteristics?
- How do orders made in private family law proceedings – for example, resolving disputes about child or financial arrangements – affect individual and family outcomes? What works, for whom, to deliver positive and sustainable outcomes?
- How effective are support structures, for example intermediaries, in facilitating access to justice for vulnerable people, including victims and witnesses?
- What are the reasons for case attrition and what works to avoid it, for different case types? What are the impacts of case attrition on victims, particularly for serious violence and sexual abuse cases?
- How do the legal professions and services available within the legal sectors of Scotland and Northern Ireland compare with the legal profession in England and Wales?
- How can policing better service the public and victims so that they have easy and timely access to information, including possible self-service options relating to case progress?
- How effective are rehabilitation activity requirements (RARs) and in what ways can they be improved?
- How can we minimise the harm to those engaging with the family justice system? What factors affect the effectiveness of Domestic Violence Protection Orders and other measures in the Domestic Abuse Bill?
- Approaches to lifetime offender management and deterrence of continuing criminal behaviour, such as Serious Crime Prevention Orders.
- How can we better meet the needs of those with legal issues to resolve in either the civil or family justice system and the criminal justice system concurrently, for example, domestic abuse victims, victims of fraud, or defendants facing eviction?
- Data mapping and linking: improving the quality and use of administrative data through developments in cutting-edge data linking methodologies, to provide cross-system insights of justice user journeys and outcomes.
- When people seek advice, how do we ensure they find useful and accessible information that empowers them – either towards self-help, or to access the most appropriate services for their needs?
- Pathways and outcomes: How do individuals within the justice system move through it, interacting with multiple (often disparate) agencies, services, interventions and policies? How we can develop, target, sequence, and measure the outcomes of, interventions and support?
- How effective are different prison types, categories and functions, such as reception, training and resettlement, in meeting their core objectives?
- What impact do eligibility criteria for judicial roles have on recruitment and diversity, and does this enable sustainability of the judiciary? What motivates individuals to apply for, and remain within, judicial roles?
- How can we better understand the impact of programmes – particularly non-accredited programmes – on individual outcomes? What approaches ensure individuals complete programmes and embed learning?
- How do organisations or other non-individual parties in the courts and tribunals system vary by, for example, size of organisation, nature of work or industry? How do these characteristics compare across case types?
- Improving how public complaints and misconduct referrals are dealt with
- How can we ensure better targeting of interventions within pre-sentence reports?
- Effectively managing violent offenders who pose a risk to the public
- How can we measure the quality of case outcomes across different jurisdictions, types of cases, and for the individuals and organisations involved? Including whether the court or tribunal was the ‘right’ method of resolution.
- Developing and maintaining an ethical culture in policing
- Relationships and trust: How can we help ensure relationships between individuals in the justice system are mutually effective and built on trust? How can procedural justice, for example, help develop relationships, build trust, and create and sustain outcomes for individuals?
- How can we define and measure procedural justice and (subjective) fairness? How does this vary by jurisdiction, and protected characteristics?