Measuring Access to Justice
Justice depends on having a fair chance to be heard, regardless of who you are, where you live, or how much money you have. At minimum, a person should be able to learn about her rights and then give effective voice to them in a neutral and nondiscriminatory, formal or informal, process that determines the facts, applies the rule of law, and enforces the result.
That is Access to Justice.
The Justice Index 2016
The Attorney Access Index
The Self-Representation Index
The Language Access Index
The Disability Access Index
52
<1
48%
50%
60%
50 States, DC, and Puerto Rico
6,100+ Data Points
3,000+ Written Citations
110+ Indicators
There is less than one civil legal aid attorney to help every 10,000 Americans living in poverty.
Overall score for practices to make justice accessible to people without lawyers.
Half of the jurisdictions have no rule against making non-English speakers pay for a court interpreter.
Highest overall score of any of Justice Index 2016’s four categories.
The Justice Index 2016
52
50 States, DC, and Puerto Rico
6,100+ Data Points
3,000+ Written Citations
110+ Indicators
The Attorney Access Index
<1
There is less than one civil legal aid attorney to help every 10,000 Americans living in poverty.
The Self-Representation Index
48%
Overall score for practices to make justice accessible to people without lawyers.
The Language Access Index
50%
Half of the jurisdictions have no rule against making non-English speakers pay for a court interpreter.
The Disability Access Index
60%
Highest overall score of any of Justice Index 2016’s four categories.