Criminal Clients with Complex Needs project 

Puzzle pieces and other components

Many Legal Aid BC (LABC) clients are brought into frequent contact with the criminal legal system because of significant challenges related to health, housing, poverty, trauma, and other unmet non-legal needs. Over the past year, LABC undertook an extensive consultation and research project to learn about the experiences of these clients and how legal aid services could be designed to better meet their needs. The findings from this project were published in the report Holistic Representation: Enhancing Client-Centred Criminal Legal Aid in BC

People with lived or living experience with legal aid services and the criminal legal system were engaged at each step of this project, including in a review and feedback session of the final report. Eleven individuals took part in a journey mapping process that explored their experiences with legal aid and the criminal legal system. The project also involved reviewing the client records of the 50 highest users of LABC criminal law services, a survey of legal aid lawyers, and interviews and focus groups with lawyers, legal system partners, community service providers, and front-line LABC staff. Based on its findings, the report outlines recommended changes to LABC’s criminal service delivery, tailoring services to meet client needs, and providing additional supports to lawyers. 

LABC is now focused on putting the report’s recommendations into practice to improve services for our most vulnerable clients. For questions on the report, please contact LABC’s Manager, Criminal, Immigration & Appeals