Increase Access to Justice (US0148)
Overview
At-a-Glance
Action Plan: United States Action Plan 2022-2024 (December)
Action Plan Cycle: 2022
Status:
Institutions
Lead Institution:
Support Institution(s):
Policy Areas
Access to Justice, JusticeIRM Review
IRM Report: United States Action Plan Review 2022–2024
Early Results: Pending IRM Review
Design i
Verifiable: Yes
Relevant to OGP Values: Yes
Ambition (see definition): Low
Implementation i
Completion: Pending IRM Review
Description
Legal services are crucial to the fair and effective administration of U.S. laws and pub- lic programs, and the stability of our society. Low-income Americans receive inadequate or no professional legal assistance in the majority of the civil legal problems they face in a given year. All too often, unaddressed legal is- sues push people into poverty. In the criminal legal system, those who cannot afford private counsel often receive a lower-quality defense because public defender caseloads are overburdened. Recognizing the Federal Govern- ment can drive innovation and best practices that promote meaningful access to justice, President Biden issued a Presidential Memorandum in May 2021 to reinvigorate the White House Legal Aid Interagency Roundtable (LAIR), and in October 2021, the Attorney General reestablished the Office for Access to Justice (ATJ) within the Department of Justice. In September 2021, the Legal Aid Interagency Roundtable issued a report highlighting the growing justice gap in the United States as a result of the pandemic. The Legal Aid Interagency Roundtable will soon release its 2022 report focused on simplification of government forms and processes to increase access to justice and Federal services and benefits. ATJ and LAIR commit to continue work across agencies to increase access to justice for individuals.