Research project SE/01/71 (Research action SE)
TOPIC
To date, Belgium does not dispose of a reliable method to gain insight into the opinions and attitudes of the population vis-à-vis the justice system: direct forms of communication and intermediation with politicians and policy makers are inexistant; moreover, there are no scientific instruments to measure on a recurrent basis the opinions and attitudes of citizens with regard to the justice system. Inspired by the experiences in other countries, this research will develop a "justice barometer", that will make it possible to take snapshots, on a recurrent basis, of popular attitudes with regard to the justice system, and that will provide information about the factors that influence these attitudes. The research also includes the first application of this survey and the processing of the research results.
The project .consists of two main parts:
1. Part I develops a clear and coherent research concept:
(1a) the exact research focus is specified by defining the basic notions, such as "attitudes", "justice", and "population".
(1b) attention is also paid to the major factors that are likely to influence the attitudes towards the judicial system, i.c. personality-related factors, micro factors, meso factors, and macro factors.
2. Part II, which contains the main components of this research, includes the conducting of a survey and the processing of the survey results. To this end, we have opted for telephone interviews with a representative sample of the Belgian population. The research results will be submitted to the commissioning authorities and to a group of users, and will be communicated to a wider audience.
AIMS
The research has two major medium-term aims (-3 year):
- to make a scientific recording of the attitudes and opinions of the Belgian population in relation to the fundamental aspects of the justice system and of judicial policy, within a comparative perspective;
- to provide the impetus for the development of a scientific database that will allow political decision-makers (both inside and outside of the justice system) as well as opinion leaders to formulate relevant policy proposals with a view to reforming and improving the Belgian system of the administration of justice.
Furthermore, the research presents a clear long-term aim (+3 years): the new instrument ("the barometer") will have maximum impact when applied on a recurrent basis (for example, every 2 to 3 years). This type of longitudinal research makes it possible to take justified action with a view to continuing to optimise the functioning of the Belgian judicial system.
Justitie doorgelicht : de resultaten van de eerste Belgische "justitiebarometer"
Parmentier, Stephan - Vervaeke, Geert - Goethals, Johan ... et al Gent : Academia Press, 2004 (PB6090)
[To download]
Une radiographie de la justice. Les résultats du premier " baromètre de la justice" en Belgique : rapport final
Parmentier, Stephan - Vervaeke, Geert - Goethals, Johan ... et al Gent : Academia Press, 2005 (PB6105)
[To download]
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