Legal Aid and Criminal Justice Reform : Advancing Fairness and Equity

Abstract

This paper discusses significant contribution that legal aid and criminal justice reform makes to ensure that the legal justice system is fair and equitable. Although several improvements have been made, criminal justice system still suffers from inequalities and discrimination that mainly affect those who are considered weaker segments of society. The research paper discusses the historical frame of legal aid and outlines the development of fairness and equity in justice, while laying concern on the problems of access to the legal aid and consequences of an unfair justice system. The present review of proposed and implemented reforms including bail, sentencing and policing reforms aims to cover experiential lessons from other jurisdictions. Moreover, the functions of legal aid services with respect to criminal justice reforms will be in the spotlight, highlighting the necessity of legal representation to achieve fair outcomes. The research ends with the analysis of the societal profitability of the reform and offers some policy recommendations to be implemented in future. Through incorporation of case studies, statistics and international perception, this study is aimed at giving ideas on best ways to the most just legal system.