Category: News And Announcements

The SJI Board of Directors will be meeting on Monday, September 18, 2023, at 1:00 PM CT. The purpose of this meeting is to consider grant applications for the 4^th quarter of FY 2023, and other business.

ADDRESS: Kansas Judicial Center, 301 SW 10^th Avenue 1^st Floor Conference Room, Topeka, Kansas.

Court-based self-help services are more available to the public through increased remote access, according to a new report released by the National Center for State Courts (NCSC) and the Massachusetts Appleseed Center for Law and Justice (Massachusetts Appleseed). “Self-help centers benefit courts and court users alike. Litigants who visit a self-help center are more likely to file paperwork that is legally sufficient. Having litigants better prepared for court appearances saves time for judges and court staff,” said Lonni Summers, an NCSC senior court management consultant leading the report. “Self-help centers also educate members of the public about how the court system works, enhancing public trust and confidence in state courts.”

A lifeline to millions of Americans who face civil legal problems without a lawyer, self-help centers help bridge the civil justice gap by providing access to legal information, advice, and referrals to counsel. Self-help centers support individuals by helping explain court processes, fill out and file court forms, and connect with wraparound services, including language access services and rental assistance programs.

In addition to increased remote service delivery via phone, chat, email or videoconferencing, the report identified some additional trends in the national survey data from 32 states:

• Consistent and adequate funding is crucial to the success of self-help centers, yet survey respondents cited funding as the number one challenge they face.

• Experienced, dedicated staff is essential to running a successful program. Yet self-help center survey respondents indicated insufficient staffing as a reoccurring struggle faced by their programs and noted a need for increased funding to support hiring additional staff.
• Most programs reported that they offer help solely with civil case types. Out of 25 participants, only four programs reported that they provide help with both civil and criminal matters.

The report also identifies areas where self-help centers can make targeted improvements based on respondent feedback and author expertise. Led by NCSC’s Access Team, the report encourages courts to find the best recommendations and resources to support their specific self-help program needs.

“New centers can learn how to build on their foundation and support the program’s growth. Experienced centers can find new ways to reach deeper into their communities, consider additional ways to provide their services, and maximize program efficiency and effectiveness,” Summers said.

The report, “Court-Based Self-Help Centers: National Survey Findings, Recommendations, and Best Practices,” is available online at ncsc.org/self-help.

Policy Research Associates (PRA) is pleased to announce the findings from its recently completed project, “Understanding the Population of People with Frequent Jail Contact.” This mixed-methods project examined the flow of people with frequent jail contact through the criminal legal system across three counties in the United States. The project assessed the counties’ strategies to reduce frequent jail contact, especially the impact that those strategies had on People of Color and people with behavioral health conditions.

Through their analysis, the authors developed the following recommendations:

• Create a data sharing ecosystem
• Establish formal, jurisdiction-specific definitions
• Use validated behavioral health screening tools
• Implement psychiatric advanced directives
• Facilitate jail in-reach programs
• Increase peer support programs
• Improve access to housing
• Increase utilization of community-based services
• Center and evaluate efforts for racial equity

To highlight and provide context for these recommendations, Policy Research has assembled a microsite that houses the following resources:

• Policy brief, which provides additional context for the recommendations provided above.
• County-specific fact sheets, which provide demographic information and trends in bookings over time.
• County-specific graphic recording notes, which provide excerpts from interviews conducted during this research study.
• Podcast episode, which dives into the research and offers key takeaways that can be put into action.

Access here: https://new.express.adobe.com/webpage/7hEp4jmTAuFkP

Policy Research Associates, Inc. in partnership with the State Justice Institute, released a new overview of 18 court navigation programs operating in 22 states across the US. A court navigation program provides guidance and information about court processes and procedures to people in contact with the court system. The compendium can serve as a tool for courts to develop their own court navigation program or to expand an existing program’s services.

Download the free resource here: https://www.prainc.com/…/CourtNavigatorCompendium-508.pdf

IAALS, the Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System at the University of Denver, announced the release of its new report, Allied Legal Professionals: A National Framework for Program Growth. As part of IAALS’ Allied Legal Professionals project—which is generously supported by the Sturm Family Foundation—this report includes multiple research-informed recommendations to help standardize a new tier of legal professionals across states, with the goal of increasing the options for accessible and affordable legal help for the public.

“To hire a lawyer, people either need considerable money or have an income low enough to qualify for the limited legal aid available. The problem is that the majority of people in the middle class don’t fit into either of those categories, making access to legal services incredibly difficult,” says IAALS Director of Special Projects Michael Houlberg. “Even if every lawyer took on pro bono clients, it wouldn’t come close to addressing the need. And IAALS’ research shows that people who need legal help are open to receiving it from qualified and authorized providers who are not lawyers.”

In early 2022, IAALS launched the Allied Legal Professionals project in response to an increase in state programs creating a new tier of legal service providers who target this gap in legal services—mirroring in many ways how nurse practitioners joined the medical field alongside doctors. These new providers—which collectively IAALS has referred to as allied legal professionals (ALPs)—are being authorized to provide legal advice in certain case types and under certain circumstances. Data from these programs show that ALPs are making a positive impact in people’s lives. Well-trained ALPs are competent, their clients are satisfied with their work product, and they can reach a portion of the population that lawyers are not reaching. ALPs are providing high-quality legal services at around half the cost of lawyers.

The report includes:

• A look at the broader ecosystem of legal service providers, of which ALPs are a part.
• Different stakeholders that have essential voices in creating effective ALP programs.
• High-level and on-the-ground recommendations on the various components of state ALP programs.

Access the report here: alp_national_framework.pdf (du.edu)