NCJ Number
92215
Date Published
1981
Length
298 pages
Annotation
The rural legal services program established by students of Queens University in Ontario, Canada, in 1975 is handling few of the needs of the communities served or of the very poor, although it is dealing adequately with the needs of the clients who seek out its services.
Abstract
The program provides clinics in about 10 locations, but it is not well known in most of the areas it serves. Since much formal advertising has been done through local media, the problem is to get from the formal communication channels into the informal ones in the area. The students were not, in the 1977-78 study period, serving the needs of the very poor or of the most geographically isolated, although they were reaching the latter group more effectively by 1980. The bulk of the clients were working class residents who lived within 30 miles of Kingston, Ontario. The cases were mainly ones in which the client needed a defense against external forces. They handled almost no civil cases. Problems in the services given by the students resulted from the lack of supervision and the lack of commitment of many students. In addition, students had received little philosophical preparation for their work. The program should be reorganized, building on the present program. A main legal clinic and two satellites should be provided, using existing community facilities if possible. The clinics should be community-controlled. The students and paralegals should receive special training in both the types of legal problems they will encounter and in the philosophy and background of legal aid and legal clinics. Clinic personnel should consult faculty members of Queen's Law School on matters where their legal expertise is needed. Data tables, footnotes, 118 references, and appendices presenting a map and the study instruments used to survey clients, community leaders, and other individuals are provided.