Modernisation of the Justice Sector in Portugal

Annex A. OECD criteria for people-centred design and delivery of legal and justice services

The OECD People-Centred Justice Criteria for Design and Delivery of Legal and Justice Services is linked closely to the OECD People-Centred Justice Framework (OECD, 2021[1]), but principally operates at the lower service delivery level. The People-Centred Justice Criteria provides an understandable and accessible tool for examining the delivery of legal and justice services within a jurisdiction Table A A.1. It provides a useful tool to apply to diagnostic of concrete cases, as per the example of this report.

Table A A.1. The OECD people-centred justice criteria for design and delivery of legal and justice services

Evidence-based planning	People-centred legal and justice services are based on and respond to an empirical understanding of legal and justice needs and legal capabilities of those who require or seek assistance.
Equality and inclusion	People-centred legal and justice services are inclusive and targeted at those most in need. They are responsive to the specific access needs of particular groups likely to suffer from social and economic disadvantage or that are otherwise marginalised or vulnerable, and those with complex needs. They are designed to contribute to equality, poverty reduction and social inclusion.
Accessibility	People-centred legal and justice services are accessible and designed to actively overcome the range of barriers to the assistance people require.
Availability	People-centred legal and justice services are available across the justice chain and provided in a range of formats and programmes and services types.
Prevention, proactivity and timeliness	People-centredlegalandjusticeservicesareproactiveandcontributetopreventing legal issues and to timely resolution. Recurring legal issues are addressed on a systemic basis to address underlying causes, thereby preventing reccurrences.
Appropriateness and responsiveness	People-centred legal and justice services are appropriate and responsive to the individual, the issues they face, and their situation. They are tailored, proportionate, efficient, and flexible to accommodate local circumstances.
Empowerment	People-centred legal and justice services are empowering, enable people’s meaningful participation in the justice system, and build people’s legal capabilities.
Collaboration and integration	People-centred legal and justice services are part of a coherent system that provides seamless referrals and integrated services through collaboration among legal, justice and other human service providers. People obtain access to all the services they need to solve the legal and related non-legal aspects of their problems holistically, regardless of the entry point for assistance.
Outcome-focus and fairness	People-centred legal and justice services contribute to fair process and fair outcomes and to better and more sustainable procedural, substantive and systemic outcomes – including increased trust and confidence in the justice system and better performance of that system – and to the attainment of societal objectives such as social inclusion.
Effectiveness	People-centred legal and justice services are effective and continually improved through evaluation, evidence-based learning and the development and sharing of best practices.

Source: OECD (2021[1]), OECD Framework and Good Practice Principles for People-Centred Justice, https://doi.org/10.1787/cdc3bde7-en.

References

[1] OECD (2021), OECD Framework and Good Practice Principles for People-Centred Justice, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/cdc3bde7-en.