Access to Justice in Rural Communities

Access to Justice in Rural Communities provides insight into access to justice from rural areas within internationally comparable contexts, highlighting the diversity of experiences both within and across rural areas globally.

It examines fundamental questions affecting people's lives, raised by the issue of access to justice and the rule of law. This book underscores a range of social, geographic, and cultural issues that impact the way rural communities experience the justice system worldwide. Chapters cover regions including Australia, Canada, England, Ireland, Kenya, Northern Ireland, South Africa, Syria, Turkey, the USA, and Wales.

Each chapter explores three key questions:

• How do people experience the institutions of justice in rural areas, and how does this rural experience differ from an urban experience?
• What impact have policy changes had on the justice system in rural areas, and have rural and urban areas been affected in different ways?
• What impact does the law have on people's lives in rural areas, and what would rural communities like to be better understood about their experience of the justice system?

By incorporating the voices and experiences of those often ignored or side-lined by justice systems, this book sets out an agenda for ensuring social justice in legal systems, with a focus on protecting marginalised groups.