The course is taught collaboratively with RMIT’s Graduate School of Business and Law and introduces students to the CIJ’s approach towards improving justice systems by researching, translating, advocating and applying innovative or alternative practices with a particular focus on appropriate/non-adversarial dispute resolution, therapeutic jurisprudence, restorative justice and enhancing access to justice.
Students learn about the theory and practice of innovative justice and court innovation, alternatives to traditional approaches to criminal justice, civil dispute resolution and legal service provision and court innovation by hearing from guest speakers and responding to collaborative human centred design exercises and developing law reform and policy development responses to real world justice challenges.
New ways of approaching traditional legal problems are being introduced into Australian civil and criminal justice systems. These new methods are underpinned by theories of procedural justice, restorative justice, therapeutic jurisprudence and the availability of new technology. New strategies to address access to justice, appropriate dispute resolution and the rise of self-represented litigants are also emerging.
An understanding of the development of legal policy and the role policy can play in law reform is valuable when considering innovation in the justice system.
