“Civil Justice and Social Inequality”

Speaker: Rebecca Sandefur, Arizona State University/Russell Sage Foundation

Description:

Millions of Americans every year face civil justice problems that can lead to bankruptcy, homelessness, poverty, family separation, and ill health. Thinking about civil justice in a new way, as a social institution, propels a growing research evidence base that reveals how civil justice contributes to inequality. At the same time, this evidence provides opportunities to radically rethink how we “do” access to justice. The research identifies promising emerging models at the same time that it points to persistent challenges in both access to justice practice and in pushing social scientific research forward in this critical area.