The role of the VLA and CLCS in assisting victims and accused individuls Flashcards
What is vla
VLA is a government agency that provides free legal information to the community, and legal advice as well as legal representation to those who can not afford to pay for a lawyer.
Types of assistance for accused people
Free legal information- provided to all people
Free legal advice- provided by video conference, and only for summary offence and those who satisfy the means test
Duty lawyer service- can give information about courts, offer advice regarding the case, or represent the accused- Only applicable for those who satisfy the means test.
Grants for legal assistance, may provide funds for those who satisfy the income test
Types of assistance for victims
Free legal information to all victims
Free legal advice- applicable to those who are seeking financial compensation
Duty lawyers- provided to those who are most in need, those with disabilities and children
Grants- Vla may provide grants to those who are applying for family vilonce protection orders, - Various tests apply
Strengths of vla
All accused individuals and victims have open access to the vla website meaning they can access basic legal information.
Free legal advice and assistance through lawyers and grants is given to eligible individuals which protects people who are most in need, including people is custody and abos
VLA provides its services in many different languages meaning most people can access their services
Weaknesses of VLA
The free legal advice may be insufficient for some people, especially those who have been charged with indictable offences .
The high demand may mean some people are ineligible for legal aid.
What is a community legal Centre
Community legal centres are one of the types of legal assistance available in Victoria, this independent organisation provides free legal advice, information, ongoing assistance and representation to people who may not be able to access legal services in other ways.
What are the two types of clcs
- Generalist CLCs which provide broad legal services to people in a particular geographical area
- Specialist CLCs which focuses on a particular group of people of area of law.
roles of a clc
- The role of CLCs for accused people is that they provide accused people with legal information, legal advice/information and ongoing assistance for their case.
- They also play a secondary role of providing education to the public in regards to their rights and responsibilities, as well as advocating for changes in the legal system.
Types of legal assistance for the accused
-Provide basic legal information
-Provide advice and assistance
-Ongoing case work, this includes legal rep
Types of assistance for victims of crime
-Basic legal info
-legal advice and assistance
-Duty lawyer service
-Ongoing casework
Strengths of clcs
Free legal info on most CLCs websites
Some legal info can be provided in different languages and some CLCs offer free interpretation services, this helps those who english is not their first language gain legal info and advice in their native language.
CLCs provides information to the public to help educate them on their rights as well as the procedures of courts and laws.
Weakness of clcs
CLCs has insufficient funding means they are unable to hep all those who need, meaning some people can not receive help
Many CLCs only help those accused of a summary offence meaning this means people accused of indictable offences are likely unable to seek help
CLCs may not have the amount of staff needed meaning some accused individuals and victims of crime need to be turned may, or people are given less time for their case.
