气候变化领域集成服务门户(CCPortal): Using random assignment to measure court accessibility for low-income divorce seekers

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DOI	10.1073/pnas.2009086118
	Using random assignment to measure court accessibility for low-income divorce seekers
	Greiner D.J.; Degnan E.L.; Ferriss T.; Sommers R.
发表日期	2021
ISSN	00278424
卷号	118 期号:14
英文摘要	We conducted a field experiment in which 311 low-income individuals seeking a divorce were randomly assigned to receive access to a pro bono lawyer (versus minimal help) to assist with filing for divorce. Examining court records, we found that assignment to an attorney made a large difference in whether participants filed for and obtained a divorce. Three years after randomization, 46% of the treated group had terminated their marriages in the proper legal venue, compared to 9% of the control group. Among "compliers"- participants who obtained representation only if assigned to receive it-those with lawyers were far more likely to file for and obtain a divorce than those not assigned lawyers. Because divorce implicates fundamental constitutional interests and can be effectuated only by resort to the courts, the US Constitution requires that dissolution of marriage be made achievable regardless of ability to pay. Yet, we observed few low-income individuals who were able to initiate divorce suits on their own. Through interviews and archival research, we identified barriers that low-income litigants faced in navigating the divorce system, including mandatory wait times, limited hours at important facilities, and burdensome paperwork sometimes requiring access to photocopiers and typewriters. This study therefore documents a salient instance in which a civil legal process was inaccessible to those without lawyers, even though their legal issues were straightforward, involving few if any matters for courts to adjudicate. © 2021 National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
英文关键词	Access to justice; Divorce; RCT
语种	英语
scopus关键词	adult; article; controlled study; court; divorce; female; field experiment; human; human experiment; interview; justice; lawyer; lowest income group; major clinical study; male; randomization; randomized controlled trial
来源期刊	Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
文献类型	期刊论文
条目标识符	http://gcip.llas.ac.cn/handle/2XKMVOVA/180007
作者单位	Harvard Law School, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, United States; Access to Justice Lab, Harvard Law School, Cambridge, MA 02138, United States; Southern Poverty Law Center, Montgomery, AL 36104, United States; University of Michigan, Law School, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, United States
推荐引用方式 GB/T 7714	Greiner D.J.,Degnan E.L.,Ferriss T.,et al. Using random assignment to measure court accessibility for low-income divorce seekers[J],2021,118(14).
APA	Greiner D.J.,Degnan E.L.,Ferriss T.,&Sommers R..(2021).Using random assignment to measure court accessibility for low-income divorce seekers.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America,118(14).
MLA	Greiner D.J.,et al."Using random assignment to measure court accessibility for low-income divorce seekers".Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 118.14(2021).