Identify likely barriers to quality legal and social service representation of disenfranchised populations
Discussion Question:
View The Oklahoma Summit Video (Links to an external site.) and read this week\’s assigned reading, then answer the following questions.
Based on the knowledge you have acquired in the course, identify likely barriers to quality legal and social service representation of disenfranchised populations, i.e. minorities, women, immigrants, elderly, etc.
For which system wide changes would you advocate as a lawyer or as a social worker?
What barriers to representation did you discover with your own \”clients\” (Jessup D, Helena, and Kevin and Jordyn)?
(Note: You do not need to respond to the discussion question, it is included for your reference so you are aware of what questions the students are replying to) I posted my colleagues\’ responses to the discussion question below, please respond to their post. Begin the response with Hi Leslie/Kourtney/Shanta) (I need at least a half page response for each person) Please include references and provide the url link to all journal articles you use as references. Use current (meaning within the past 2 years) scholarly journal articles as references. Please use APA 6th edition format. Thanks)
Tiffany\’s Post:
1. Based on the knowledge you have acquired in the course, identify likely barriers to quality legal and social service representation of disenfranchised populations, i.e. minorities, women, immigrants, elderly, etc.
Through this course, I have learned that the most vulnerable populations such as those listed above are more likely to live in poverty and more likely to need legal assistance and quality social service representations that they often cannot afford or do not have access to. Barriers include legal representation, employment discrimination, domestic violence, housing, education, and access to healthcare. Geographical accessibility of legal and justice services is a barrier, along with a lack of awareness and understanding.
In disenfranchised populations, women experience higher levels of sexual violence which would require specific assistance. People with disabilities often require assistance to help protect themselves from employment discrimination. People with mental health disorders often need parenting assistance, family assistance, and employment assistance. Our aging, elderly, population may need legal support, health insurance/assistance, and guardianship. Immigrants are always vulnerable to legal and family services problems.
2. For which system-wide changes would you advocate as a lawyer or as a social worker?
Systems change is about addressing the root causes of social problems such as physical or mental barriers, lack of education, lower socioeconomic status, and our unique system of qualifying for social services. As a social worker, I would advocate for equality within our social services organizations, mainly to bring awareness to those social services that are unknown or unavailable to those in need. People without direct access to resources are often unaware of how to learn about ways to help their growth and development within society or their geographical location. As a social worker, I would advocate connecting individuals, families, and communities with the available services to provide people with an opportunity to participate fully in society with the same equal rights as those who may not need direct social service assistance. System changes address social problems and provide a helpful way for citizens to understand them and experience the change.
3. What barriers to representation did you discover with your own \”clients\” (Jessup D, Helena, and Kevin and Jordyn)?
My client was Jessup D. He was a veteran suffering many issues due to PTSD. His main barriers were employment issues and mental health care. He had not sought treatment for the changes in his mental state or change in aggressive behaviors. He was having nightmares and couldn’t keep a job due to his other symptoms. He left his home with his wife and children which rendered him homeless. He then assaulted a couple which landed him in prison awaiting bail and/or trial. I believe, If he had sought treatment for his decline in mental state and other symptoms, his symptoms could have been treated before experiencing the many social consequences which he did, which led him to lose his wife and children and awaiting felony charges in prison.
Kourtney\’s Post:
Based on the knowledge you have acquired in the course, identify likely barriers to quality legal and social service representation of disenfranchised populations, i.e. minorities, women, immigrants, elderly, etc.
For which system wide changes would you advocate as a lawyer or as a social worker?
What barriers to representation did you discover with your own \”clients\” (Jessup D, Helena, and Kevin and Jordyn)?
1. When it comes to barriers for disenfranchised populations, there is a lot of issues that arise. For example, with immigrants are obvious language barriers (Slater & Finck, n.d.). Especially those who may be elderly and do not have a chance to learn languages as easily as a young child that have the opportunity to go to school. Another issue that comes up is women. Depending on their race and age, it could be extremely hard to obtain legal or social services. This is due to a lack of knowledge if they are an immigrant. Or if they are married and seen \”less as\” than their male counterpart (Slater & Finck, n.d.). One more issue could be finances, a lot of disenfranchised populations have lacked financial means. This could put those in bad situations, and not allow for the maximum change in social and private situations.
2. As a social worker, I would advocate for easier ways for women of domestic violence to obtain services. As far as a lawyer, I would advocate making legal assistance easier and more affordable for low-income women. Especially those in domestic violence situations. Women that are in that situation need to be able to obtain services and legal assistance that is affordable and easily obtained. Sometimes in those situations, it is not always easy to be on the phone. So maybe creating other ways to \”get help\” there is always a way to expand and create change.
3. With Jessup D, some of his barriers to representations include, disability from war, mental health issues, and he is now considered a violent offender. There is also not a lot of family support. Since Jessup is a veteran, some could say that he knew what he was doing, while others may understand PTSD thoroughly. This individual is in need of a lot of social and legal services.
Slater, L. K., & Finck, K. R. (n.d.). Social Work Practice and the Law. Retrieved from https://platform.virdocs.com/r/s/0/doc/435417/sp/1…
Leslie\’s Post:
Based on the knowledge you have acquired in the course, identify likely barriers to quality legal and social service representation of disenfranchised populations, i.e. minorities, women, immigrants, elderly, etc.
It is true that justice does not always reach out to all in equal measure; some get it easily, while others struggle to get it. Disenfranchised populations are such categories of people that do not get access to justice easily. According to the Legal Services Corporation (2017), criminal cases in the American justice system warrant someone the right to legal representation by an attorney. However, in civil cases, people do not have the right to legal representation by an attorney. As a result, people are forced to get their own lawyers. This may not be a major problem to people that are rich and can afford to hire one, but it is a problem for those who are from the lower socioeconomic bracket. Data from the LSC shows that about 86% of Americans who are low-income earners did not get adequate help, or did not get help at all with regard to their civil problems (LSC, 2017). Secondly, lack of awareness about agencies providing social services and legal representation makes these vulnerable people away from achieving their needs.
For which system-wide changes would you advocate as a lawyer or as a social worker?
As a social worker, I would recommend that the nation considers socioeconomic status even for cases of civil cases because these affect disenfranchised populations more often than criminal cases do. Second, I would recommend higher funding for groups such as LSC which helps these people who are often neglected to get justice.
What barriers to representation did you discover with your own \”clients\” (Jessup D, Helena, and Kevin, and Jordyn)?
My client Jessup D. is a war veteran who has served two terms in Iraq but currently suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder. He must have gone through immensely traumatic conditions during the war in Iraq, which has made him mentally ill. He is currently prone to violence, and has actually been accused of assault and plans to harm his wife. As a result, it is difficult to represent him with the present mental state. He first needs treatment before representation because he might as well act in violence.
References
Legal Services Corporation. (2017). The Justice Gap: Measuring the Unmet Civil Legal Needs of Low-Income Americans.
LegalTalkNetwork. (2018, October 12). Oklahoma Summit on A2J: The Justice Gap [Video]. YouTube.
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