A study funded by the VA National Center on Homelessness Among Veterans and published by the Journal of General Internal Medicine in November 2019 analyzed the relationship between adverse social determinants of health (including violence, housing instability, financial/employment problems, legal problems, familial/social problems, lack of access to care/transportation, and nonspecific psychosocial needs) and suicide ideation and attempt among veterans.
Policymakers and Funders
Effects of an Interdisciplinary Approach to Parental Representation in Child Welfare
Researchers analyzed the impact of interdisciplinary representation (i.e., having a legal team which incorporates other professionals for parents in child welfare proceedings. They found that when parents received interdisciplinary representation, children spent an average of 118 fewer days in foster care during the four years following the abuse or neglect case filing. Children whose parents received interdisciplinary representation achieved overall permanency, reunification, and guardianship more quickly.
Qualitative Research Exploring Experiences and Perception of Unbundled Legal Services
This study looked at unbundled legal services in England from the consumer, provider and judicial perspective.
The 2014 Tennessee Pro Bono Report
This 2014 Tennessee Pro Bono Report contains information about and statistics on the hours devoted to pro bono activities of legal aid providers, bar associations, law schools, mediation centers, and other organizations in 2014.
The Justice Gap in Montana: As Vast as Big Sky Country
Montana Access to Justice Commission evaluates the unmet legal needs of low and moderate income residents, overviews the various existing providers of legal aid services, and describes the gaps in assistance in Montana.
Legal Needs of Low Income Households in Montana
This report analyzes the data from the 2004 Montana Legal Needs Study and responses from over 850 interviewees who are lower income regarding their legal needs and their experiences with civil legal services and the legal system.
Practical Implications of Current Domestic Violence Research: For Law Enforcement, Prosecutors and Judges
This report gives practitioners the research on perpetrators and victims of domestic violence, the impact of current responses to such violence, and the implications of that research for day-to-day, real-world responses to domestic violence by law enforcement officers, prosecutors and judges.
Massachusetts Trial Court Fines and Fees Working Group Report
The United States Department of Justice Civil Rights Division published a “Dear Colleague” letter on March 14, 2016 outlining seven recommendations concerning court enforcement of fines and fees. The mission of the Working Group is to review the recommendations, and to evaluate 1) whether Massachusetts laws support each recommendation; and 2) whether the Trial Court is in compliance with each recommendation. This report further sets forth the Working Group’s proposals for adoption and implementation of the Department of Justice recommendations.
Defusing Debt: A Survey of Debt-Related Civil Legal Aid Programs in the United States
In order to better understand the work that civil legal aid programs are doing to serve some of the nation’s consumers, the National Consumer Law Center (NCLC) developed this survey to gather data about what kind of representation organizations provided to clients who are being contacted or sued by debt collectors, debt buyers, or creditors. Sixty-four civil legal aid organizations completed the comprehensive survey.
Aging, Women and Poverty in California: We Must Do More
In 2016, the CA Commission on Aging joined with the California Women’s Law Center and the California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls to host the first statewide convening focused on older women in poverty through the lenses of retirement options, elder justice, food insecurity, and health access. This article provides evidence that the relationship between legal services and Adult Protective Services (APS) and the Long Term Care Ombudsman should be strengthened in order to expand and improve elder justice resources.