CAREER: Equitable Access to Justice: Determinants of Engagement with the Civil Justice System

美国司法系统面临着严重的民事司法缺口危机。不仅需要民事法律援助的人比能够获得的人多，而且有证据表明，许多需要法律援助的人不寻求帮助。虽然人们对民事司法差距存在的原因知之甚少，但现有的研究表明，法律援助的障碍是复杂和多方面的。随着社会努力缩小民事司法差距，我们越来越需要了解(1)公众对法律制度和民事司法问题的看法；(2)人们何时、为何以及如何寻求法律援助或自行解决民事司法问题。这项研究对这些目标提供了细致入微的理解，特别考虑了公众观念和法律援助寻求方面的群体差异。特别值得关注的是那些法律体系历来服务不足的人，比如有色人种和低收入家庭的人。本研究提供的实证基础，对于构建我国急需的民事司法救助行为模型具有重要意义。通过综合研究、教育和推广活动，这个职业项目实现了几个目标：(1)绘制社区成员对法律制度、民事司法问题和法律自我效能的看法，以检查这些看法中的群体差异；(2)确定法律援助寻求民事司法问题和成功解决法律体系之外的预测因素；(3)采用参与式行动研究方法，制定、实施和传播以社区为基础的司法救助计划；(4)开发体验式学习机会，使学生在具有文化能力和文化谦逊的不同社区中工作。前两个目标以多部分实地研究为中心，包括一项大规模的全国社区调查，以评估社区成员的看法，以及一项调查民事司法问题和解决途径的纵向多方法研究。该项目还与当地社区合作制定一项方案，旨在解决与民事司法问题有关的当地需求，包括制作在全国范围内传播的材料。该项目的研究结果为民事司法决策模型提供了经验基础，为司法救助领域的理论发展提供了信息，并为设计有效举措以缩小民事司法差距提供了所需的证据。该项目由法律与科学和促进竞争研究的既定计划（EPSCoR）共同资助。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The United States justice system faces a serious crisis known as the civil justice gap. Not only do more people need civil legal assistance than are able to obtain it but also evidence indicates that many people who need legal assistance do not seek help. Although little is known about why the civil justice gap exists, available research suggests that the barriers to legal assistance are complex and multi-faceted. As society grapples with reducing the civil justice gap, there is a growing need to understand (1) public perceptions of the legal system and civil justice problems and (2) when, why, and how people seek legal assistance or resolve civil justice problems on their own. This research offers a nuanced understanding of these aims that specifically considers group differences in public perceptions and legal assistance seeking. Of special concern are people whom the legal system has historically underserved, such as people of color and those in low-income households. The empirical foundation provided through this research is essential for developing much needed models of civil justice assistance-seeking behavior. Through integrated research, education, and outreach activities, this CAREER project addresses several objectives: (1) map community members’ perceptions of the legal system, civil justice problems, and legal self-efficacy to examine group differences in these perceptions; (2) identify predictors of legal assistance seeking for civil justice problems and successful problem-solving outside of the legal system; (3) develop, implement, and disseminate a community-based access-to-justice program using participatory action research methods; and (4) develop experiential learning opportunities that prepare students to work in diverse communities with cultural competence and cultural humility. The first two objectives center on a multi-part field study, including a large-scale, national community survey to assess community members’ perceptions and a longitudinal multi-method study examining civil justice problems and resolution pathways. The project also engages local communities collaboratively to develop a program aimed at addressing local needs related to civil justice problems, including the production of materials for nation-wide dissemination. Findings from this project provide an empirical foundation for models of civil justice decision-making that inform theory development in the field of access to justice and provide evidence needed to design effective initiatives to reduce the civil justice gap. This project is jointly funded by Law and Science and the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR).This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.