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Research Report: On the edge of justice: the legal needs of people with a mental illness
Executive Summary
Foreword
Shortened forms
Ch 1. Introduction
Ch 2. Methodology
Ch 3. Legal issues
Ch 4. Barriers to accessing legal assistance
Individual barriers to accessing legal assistance
Systemic barriers to seeking legal assistance
Availability of affordable legal services
Time constraints
Remote, rural and regional issues
Identifying mental illness
A perceived lack of credibility
Physical environment
Suggestions to increase the accessibility of legal services to people with a mental illness
Summary
Ch 5. Participation in the legal system
Ch 6. Non-legal support
Ch 7. Discussion and conclusion
References
Appendices
Acknowledgements
Access to justice and legal needs research program: Terms of reference
Publishing details
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On the edge of justice: the legal needs of people with a mental illness (2006) Cite this report

Ch 4. Barriers to accessing legal assistance

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Systemic barriers to seeking legal assistance


This section will look at some of the systemic barriers confronting people with a mental illness in accessing legal assistance. These include:
  • the availability of affordable legal services
  • time constraints
  • remote, rural and regional issues
  • identifying mental illness
  • credibility
  • barriers in the physical environment.


  


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Karras, M, McCarron, E, Gray, A & Ardasinski, S 2006, On the edge of justice: the legal needs of people with a mental illness in NSW, Law and Justice Foundation of NSW, Sydney