The affordability of legal proceedings for those excluded from eligibility for criminal legal aid

This report considers whether people defending criminal proceedings in Magistrates’ Courts and the Crown Court who are required by the criminal legal aid system to contribute to or pay fully for legal costs, based on their income, can always afford to do so while maintaining a minimum acceptable living standard. This standard is based on my research into what members of the public consider such a minimum to be – the Minimum Income Standard. The report also considers whether legal costs can be afforded without a defendant and their household falling into poverty as commonly measured......