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26 Journal of Law and Social Policy 68 (2017)
Don't Want to Get Exposed: Law's Violence and Access to Justice

handle is hein.journals/jlsp26 and id is 68 raw text is: Buhler: Don't Want to Get Exposed: Law's Violence and Access to Justice Don't Want to Get Exposed: Law's Violence and Access to Justice SARAH BUHLER* Pour plusieurs membres de communaut6s marginalis6es, le droit est trop souvent une source d'oppression. Le systeme de justice represente une menace et une source de prejudice plut6t qu'un lieu de justice. La plupart des projets d'acces a la justice au Canada se concentrent pourtant sur la tiche de rendre le droit et le systhme de justice disponible au public, sans v6ritablement tenir compte des perspectives critiques et troublantes de ces communaut6s. Dans cet article, je me fonde sur des entrevues qualitatives avec des membres de la communaut6 de Saskatoon et sur la litt6rature sur la violence du droit. J'avance que ceux et celles qui se preoccupent de l'acces a la justice doivent confronter les pr6judices caus6s par le droit et les proc6dures juridiques aux membres de communaut6s marginalis6es. Cela exige que les personnes qui travaillent dans le systeme de justice s'engagent a prendre au serieux, et sans se mettre sur la d6fensive, les perspectives et les exp6riences des membres de communaut6s marginalis6es affectes par les systemes juridiques et de justice. J'estime que cet engagement doit mener a de nouvelles fagons de penser a l'acces a la justice et a s'engager vers celle-ci. Plus particulibrement, je maintiens que cet engagement peut mener a mettre l'emphase, non pas sur la notion d'<< acc~s >> A la justice, mais plut6t sur le fait d'apprendre de ces communautes et en collaboration avec celles-ci, pour mieux comprendre ce que nous devons faire pour aller vers la justice. For many members of marginalized communities, law is all too often an author of oppression, and the justice system is a site not of justice but of threat and harm. Yet most access to justice projects in Canada devote themselves to the task of rendering law and the justice system more available to the public without a serious consideration of these critical and troubling community-held insights. In this article, I draw on qualitative interviews conducted with community members in Saskatoon and the literature on law's violence to argue that those who are concerned about access to justice must come to terms with harms done through law and legal processes upon members of marginalized communities. This requires a commitment by those working within the justice system to take seriously the perspectives and experiences of members of marginalized communities who are affected by law and justice systems, and to engage non-defensively with these insights. I argue that this engagement may lead to new ways of thinking about, and engaging with, access to justice. Specifically, I propose that it may lead to a de-emphasis on the current focus on access and a renewed emphasis on learning with and from communities about what it would take to move towards justice. FOR MANY MEMBERS OF MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES, law is all too often an author of oppression, and the justice system is a site not of justice but of threat and harm. Yet most access to justice projects in Canada devote themselves to the task of rendering law and the justice * Sarah Buhler is an Associate Professor at the University of Saskatchewan College of Law. Funding for this research was provided by the University of Saskatchewan's President's SSHRC Fund and is gratefully acknowledged. The author also wishes to thank Janelle Anderson, Amanda Dodge and Stan Tu'Inukuafe, and the anonymous reviewers of this article. Published by Osgoode Digital Commons, 68

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