Legal Aid Sentencing

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The Legal Aid and Advice Act 1949 was first introduced after the second world war, legal aid has been the main method that allows individuals who don’t necessarily have the means to access professional legal assistance. The Access to Justice Act 1999 came in to act as a consequence of the Middleton Committee reporting to the lord chancellors; one of the most prominent findings were that the costs of legal aid were increasing rapidly but the number of people assisted was decreasing. The government responded in its Modernising Justice White Paper in 1998 which included a strategy to reduce the cost of justice for all. The Legal Aid Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (LASPO) replaced the Legal Services Commission and was enacted …show more content…
Furthermore, legal aid has had a prominent impact on self-litigation. Those individuals who are less fortunate and who do not have the means to hire qualified attorneys are forced to represent themselves in court, even though they have no experience in front of a judge and their legal knowledge may be limited.
Another significant impact due to the cuts is those who have low incomes are unable to take their cases to court, because of their lack of funding they are unable to deal with expensive court costs and unable to hire reputable legal representation. These cuts have also had a mental impact on the youth that come from underprivileged backgrounds as they may be that- they are forced to concern themselves with the legal issues that their families are going through instead of focusing on their …show more content…
Furthermore, those living in poverty usually less knowledgeable about the law and their rights. A report released in 2012 on extreme poverty and human rights states “the provision of free and competent legal advice and assistance to those who are otherwise unable to afford it is a fundamental prerequisite for ensuring that all individuals have fair and equal access to judicial and adjudicatory mechanisms.” This means that it is a fundamental human right to have access to justice in the form of legal aid regardless of social status or income. The article then goes on to say, “Lack of legal aid for civil matters can seriously prejudice the rights and interests of person’s living in poverty.” This suggests that those on low income are unable to exercise their rights to legal assistance and in turn undermine their quality of
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