Justice systems face a common challenge: too many people’s legal and justice needs remain unmet. Such needs are widespread, interlinked with social and economic issues, and disproportionately affect certain groups. Unaddressed legal and justice needs undermine well-being, reduce trust in institutions and constrain economic opportunity.
The OECD Recommendation of the Council on Access to Justice and People-Centred Justice Systems invites countries to place people and their needs at the heart of justice reform. This Toolkit translates the Recommendation into practical steps. It provides policymakers, practitioners and stakeholders with questions, checklists and good practice examples to support the design, delivery and monitoring of people ‑centred justice.
The Toolkit is structured around five interrelated pillars:
1. People-centred purpose and culture. Establishing a clear mission that places people’s legal and justice needs at the core of the justice system, ensuring high-level commitment, co-ordination across institutions, and action to eliminate disparities.
2. Design and delivery of services. Ensuring a continuum of accessible, affordable and high-quality legal and justice services designed in plain language and tailored to people’s capabilities and circumstances, including those in vulnerable situations.
3. Governance infrastructure. Building the institutional foundations for people-centred justice, including sustainable resources, co-ordination mechanisms, digital transformation, innovation and evidence-based management.
4. People empowerment. Fostering legal literacy, engagement and participation while strengthening justice professionals’ capacities to deliver services that empower individuals and communities.
5. Participatory and evidence-based planning, monitoring and evaluation. Improving justice data collection, governance and use; integrating justice impact assessments into policy and budget processes; and embedding regular evaluation and accountability.
Across these pillars, the Toolkit emphasises the importance of whole-of-state and whole-of-society approaches, robust data and evidence, and sustained investment in people-centred reform. It showcases practical tools and inspiring country examples to guide implementation.
By applying the Toolkit, countries can take concrete steps to respond to people’s legal and justice needs, deliver fair outcomes and strengthen public trust in public institutions.
The Toolkit underscores that delivering people-centred justice is a practical necessity for resilient societies. By adopting a whole-of-state and whole-of-society approach, grounded in data and evidence, countries can reduce the justice gap, empower people to address their needs and enhance trust in democratic institutions. Implementing the OECD Recommendation through the actions outlined in this Toolkit will help ensure that justice systems contribute to better lives for all.