Based on research and instrument development, the research group contributes to a responsive professional attitude of jurists in government. That is a more people- and solution-oriented way of working, for example in licensing, supervision, enforcement and handling complaints. This sculpture by Nicole Eisenman, entitled “Love or Generosity,” in front of the Amsterdam District Court symbolizes the responsive legal practice.
A bare meeting room in City Hall. That is where citizens usually end up when they want to explain their complaint or objection in a hearing. Can a different design of the room contribute to the procedure being perceived as fairer? This is what the research group People-Centred Justice is investigating together with the group Designing Journalism at Fontys University of Applied Sciences.
Socio-legal professionals in government are expected to maintain the human touch and provide customised services. This is easier said than done. How do you deal with practical, legal and deeper moral objections? We develop working methods for socio-legal professionals to train themselves in offering tailor-made solutions. In doing so, we use the power of the arts.
Amsterdam residents in a vulnerable position are often more likely to run into legal problems. If they do not get these resolved quickly, other problems are often added: poverty, stress, insomnia. This, in turn, often leads to new (legal) problems. How can this negative spiral be broken? And what does this mean for the approach of legal aid providers in Amsterdam?
Arnt Mein is trained as a lawyer at the University of Utrecht. Over the years he has gained extensive experience in research on governance, regulation and law enforcement. In 2015 he graduated from the Erasmus University Rotterdam (Erasmus School of Law) on a Phd-thesis on the use of administrative fines in financial supervision. In the past he had (legal) advisory and management positions at the Ministry of Justice , the Prosecutor General and the city of Arnhem.
