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PLE works to extend legal knowledge and skills to millions of Canadians. These efforts have been accompanied by research and reflection as the PLE community has worked to ground its practice in theory and its theory in practice.

 

In this section, you will find much of the research that from the field of public legal education in Canada.

1997 Public Legal Education and Information (PLEI) Review - Tools for Moving Forward An examination conducted for the Programs Branch Department of Justice Canada (Acrobat) - November, 1997

A Study on Self Represented Litigants (CLIA PEI) Ann Sherman presented her research on self represented litigants, entitled "A Study of Self Represented Litigants in the Supreme Court of Prince Edward Island" at CLIA's 2008 Annual General Meeting. The executive summary is posted and the full report is available in PDF format.

Alberta Civil Liberties Research Centre Promotes awareness among Albertans about civil liberties and human rights through research and education. The Research Centre publishes reports on various civil liberties and human rights topics. One of the Research Centre's current projects is the Human Rights Education Project, which educates secondary students about human rights law. Links to resources - publications, teachers materials, and research.

BC Supreme Court Self-Help Information Centre Evaluation The Society is pleased to be involved in the BC Supreme Court Self-Help Information Centre, which opened as a pilot project in Vancouver in April 2005. This page has research and documents related to the development, operation and evaluation of the Centre.

Better Information Handbook Created by AdviceNow in the UK, the handbook discusses the issues involved in the successful delivery of information to the public, draws together existing good practice from within the sector and elsewhere, and provides practical advice on techniques and procedures. The aim of this project is to improve the quality of rights and legal information available to the public.

Canadian Forum on Civil Justice The Canadian Forum on Civil Justice is a non-profit, independent organization dedicated to bringing together the public, the courts, the legal profession and government in order to promote a civil justice system that is accessible, effective, fair and efficient.

Centre for Constitutional Studies The Centre for Constitutional Studies was established in the fall of 1987 as a result of the collaborative efforts of the Departments of History and Political Science and the Faculty of Law at the University of Alberta. The Centre was founded to encourage and facilitate the interdisciplinary study of constitutional matters both nationally and internationally. The Centre's research activities are complemented by an education programme consisting of public lectures, conferences and publications. The Centre also serves as a clearing house for information and materials relevant to constitutional studies.

Centre for Representation and Elections (CRE) The Centre’s mandate will be primarily to facilitate and foster research, conduct training, public education, promote interest among students and faculty and undertake the diffusion of knowledge about the role of free, fair and effective elections, representative legislatures and responsive bureaucracies in democratization. It will focus on research on barriers to effective representation of marginalized groups and the deepening of democracy through alternative models of representation , direct democracy and civil society institutions. The Centre will also encourage and pursue research projects on representation and elections in local government;the democratization of the institutions of civil society; and on effective consultations and citizen engagement techniques.

Evaluation of Public Legal Education and Information: An Annotated Bibliography (Department of Justice) The purpose of this annotated bibliography from 2002 is to attempt to amass the current available materials on evaluating public legal education and information (PLEI) initiatives.

From Partnerships to Networks: Collaborating for Social Change This paper examines the process of developing a research partnership (SSHRC-sponsored research alliance) and early efforts to use the partnership as the foundation for a national civil justice network. Presentation by Lois Gander at CAUCE 2003 Conference. (6 pages, rtf) May 2003.

Just Between You and Me: A Peer Public Legal Education and Information (PLEI) Programme for Women in Family Violence Situations : Research Reports The "Just Between You and Me" project was designed to provide Public Legal Education and Information (PLEI) peer support to women who had experienced family violence and assess its validity as a model for PLEI delivery. The goal of the project was that the peers would then share this information within their own networks of family, co-workers and communities, using resources already developed and existing in their areas. (March 31, 2004)

JustResearch JustResearch, the Research and Statistics Division's in-house periodical, is published several times a year. JustResearch is designed to disseminate policy-relevant research results across the Department of Justice Canada and throughout the justice community including other government departments, non-governmental organizations, front-line justice professionals, and academic institutions.

Library (Supreme Court of Canada) The Library of the Supreme Court of Canada provides the research base for the Court in its role of deciding questions of national importance. It is a research library geared to meet the immediate information needs of the Court. The Library has an extensive collection of both primary and secondary materials from the major common and civil law jurisdictions: Canada, United Kingdom, United States, Australia, New Zealand, France and Belgium; a large collection of legal periodicals, loose-leaf services and major legal texts.

Linguistic Access Report: Executive Summary Research report on how to help meet the public legal education needs of low-income communities in Ontario who speak neither French nor English. The report includes a data and literature review, as well as interviews, focus groups, and an online survey that canvassed the views of over 130 people from over 100 agencies.

Literacy in the Courtroom Handbook provides a background on literacy issues and their implications in Canada and the Canadian justice system. (20 pages of PDF file)

Making Family Violence Law Information Available to People in Rural Areas: An Inventory of Promising Practices In February 2002, the Department of Justice Canada contracted with the Muriel McQueen Fergusson Centre for Family Violence Research, to develop an inventory of strategies and methods used by public legal education and information (PLEI) organizations and others in sharing family violence law information with people living in rural areas.  The inventory categorizes the various methods and makes recommendations regarding most promising practices. The inventory presents an overview of the kinds of products and services that PLEI organizations and others consider relevant for persons living with family violence.

PLE Review : Reflections and Recommendations on Public Legal Education Delivery in BC This report reviews how the Legal Services Society (LSS or the society) currently provides public legal education and information services. They explore the roots of public legal education and information (PLEI) in the BC legal aid system and the changes made in 2002 in response to a narrowed mandate. (85 pages of PDF)

Research and Statistics (Department of Justice) The Research and Statistics Division provides a core research capacity that delivers high quality social science research and statistical services to the Department of Justice Canada and the Government of Canada to support evidence-based decision making within a justice context. The Division is staffed by social science researchers drawn from a broad range of disciplines including law, criminology, sociology, anthropology, education, statistics, political science, social work. Key areas of work are: access to justice and legal aid, criminal justice research, inclusive justice research, statistical and environmental analysis, family, children and youth. The results of the divisions research are published and are available in electronic format on the site.

Safety and Savings: Crime Prevention Through Social Development The evidence is conclusive that the most effective way to prevent crime is to ensure healthier children, stronger families, better schools and more cohesive communities. Crime prevention through social development is a sound investment. The dividends include less violence, safer communities and significant cost savings in the criminal justice system and in almost every other area of public and private spending. Study is from 1996.

Video Tutorials (British Columbia Courthouse Library Society) British Columbia Courthouse Library Society have some new video tutorials, which demonstrate research techniques. Learn how to trace legislation back in time, note up legislation, research legislative intent, and find a precedent document using resources available at BC Courthouse Libraries.

VIOLET: Learning on the Net Final Report to the Office of Learning Technologies - December 1999. 114 pages