Involving community members, court participants in research
What is Participatory Action Research (PAR)?
Participatory action research (PAR) is one type of community engagement and a powerful tool for improving court services. Like traditional research methods, PAR engages court participants, staff, legal professionals, and community members by gathering direct feedback on their experiences with the court and potential areas for improvement. However, PAR goes further by involving these groups throughout the research process itself. Engagement activities include designing the research plan, gathering the needed information, and using the findings to make effective changes. That is, PAR provides a framework for impacted people to bring their perspectives and experiences to the entire process of gathering the insights that the court needs and acting on those insights.
How does it work?
- PAR is an iterative process to gather information, develop solutions, act, and reflect on the impact and next line of research.
- Community members, trained researchers, and court partners collaborate as co-researchers to define a problem, conduct research, analyze findings, and implement solutions.
Why is it important?
PAR provides a framework for impacted people to bring their perspectives and insights to applied court research. As a result, research questions are relevant, data collection is culturally sensitive and grounded in local experiences, and findings are actionable.
It helps courts to:
1) Identify the issues that matter most to the community served by the court
2) Align improvement efforts with the issues and solutions identified by the community.
Challenges & considerations
- Building trusting relationships and participation takes time and commitment.
- Time and resources are needed to educate the group about the research process, the courts, and the community context and to create a common understanding about what is feasible.
- Clear expectations around the engagement activities and decision making should be set for successful implementation. This includes task and communication plans and discussions about how the group will resolve disagreements, acknowledge contributions, and compensate community partners.
- As an iterative process, PAR may uncover new issues to explore or identify new avenues for the work. Be prepared to make needed adjustments to meet the overarching goals and objectives.
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Benefits of community engagement
Promotes transparency
The public benefits from greater transparency around court processes and understanding of the community and court system strengths and challenges.
Increased relevance
Research findings and solutions are more likely to be relevant and impactful when stakeholders are involved. By focusing on what is important to the community, court participant satisfaction can be more meaningfully improved.
Improved trust & legitimacy
A PAR approach helps the court demonstrate a commitment to serving the public. When court participants and stakeholders are heard and valued in the court research and improvement process, it can build public trust and confidence in the court system.
Empowerment & capacity building
Involving stakeholders in the research process empowers them to advocate for their needs and contribute to improvements in their community. At the same time, it increases the court's capacity to conduct research and respond to the community based on the local conditions and resources.
Greater sustainability
Participatory approaches can foster ownership and commitment to seeing the research through to actionable outcomes and continued engagement in the improvement process. Greater buy-in and agreement on the solutions leads to more sustainable changes.
A roadmap for participatory action research
Engaging in research planning
After completing a formal agreement with community partners, document these items to get your research plan underway:
1. Describe the research objectives.
2. Identify key measures.
3. Explain how information will be collected.
4. Decide on an analysis approach.
5. Plan for research dissemination.
6. Document considerations for the research project.
Improving services through research & community engagement
With decades of experience in research and court administration, our team can help you discover the power of participatory action research.
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Ensuring justice for all
The National Center for State Courts (NCSC) has developed a comprehensive Justice for All guide, funded by various foundations, to assist courts, lawyers, and community groups in improving civil justice accessibility and addressing unmet needs, aided by expert input and feedback gathered since its launch in 2016.
Leveraging navigator programs to assist court users
Court navigator programs can be a vital tool for ensuring access to justice for all. Non-lawyer navigators can provide real-time legal information, referrals, and navigational support to people with civil legal needs who need help moving through the court system and understanding complex legal procedures.