Court
Research Topic
Language: English
This is a research topic created to provide authors with a place to attach new problem publications.
Research topics above this in the hierarchy
Research problems linked to this topic
- Understanding how to most effectively operationalise restorative justice approaches
- How do individuals in the courts and tribunals system vary by, for example, protected characteristics, socio-economic or socio-demographic background? How do these characteristics compare across jurisdiction and case type?
- 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?
- 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?
- Constructing secure evidential cases against offenders in a changing technological context.
- 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 do geographical and demographic factors affect legal aid awareness and uptake? How does legal aid uptake vary by eligibility?
- Understanding the contribution of forensic techniques to the Criminal Justice System, within investigations and in court, including issues such as attrition of cases in the system.
- 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?
- 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?
- How do geographic, demographic, cultural, and other factors affect people’s ability to resolve their legal problems?
- What does ‘ideal’ judicial diversity look like? What promotes, enables, and sustains diversity within senior levels of the judiciary? At what point within a career path does enabling activity lead to greater future judicial diversity?
- 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 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 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 the policing further deliver seamless interaction with the Crown Prosecution Service and legal representatives?
- 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?
- 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?
- 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?
- How can we better understand flows into the courts and tribunals system, reasons for entry, and the impact of external organisations and their activities?
- How are tribunals affected by the policies and services of other government departments, and how can we better understand upstream decision-making processes? For example, regarding welfare policy.
- How do police activities – such as Release Under Investigation (RUI) – affect flows into the criminal courts?
- 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 opportunities and impact of the use of digital technology on those engaging with the courts and tribunals system?
- 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?
- How does case progression, case timeliness, cost-to-access (where appropriate), and eventual outcome vary by jurisdiction and case type? What works, at which stage, and for whom, to improve the efficiency of case progression?
- 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.
- How can we improve forecasts of case volumes for the courts and tribunals system? How can we better understand future demand and supply, to help plan for the delivery of services?
- What are the career pathways and recruitment journeys into the judiciary? How do protected characteristics and social mobility affect recruitment?
- How can we define and measure procedural justice and (subjective) fairness? How does this vary by jurisdiction, and protected characteristics?