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See the system.
Find the pressure points.
Target the reform.

Justice Audit shows how a justice system is actually working – and what can be done to make it work better.

Could a Justice Audit work in your country? How it works
Scroll to see the system

What is a Justice Audit?

An independent, systematic, data-driven examination of how a justice system actually functions.

01What it does
Connects data that normally sit in separate institutional silos and examines the justice system as a whole.
02Why it works
Combines quantitative data with institutional knowledge, observation, practitioner and user experience, geography and verification.
03What it produces
An Action Matrix of prioritised, sequenced measures and a time-bound Roadmap with indicators to measure progress.
04Who delivers it
Governance and Justice Group (GJG) and Justice Mapping (JM), working with national experts throughout the Audit.
How a Justice Audit works

Evidence from past assignments

Applied in 10 countries17 engagementssince 2011

  • >50%

    of the unsentenced prisoners identified as eligible for release were released by the courts, after the Prison Audit submitted named lists.

    Malawi · Prison Audit · 2023

  • >30%

    estimated potential reduction in court backlog from the Case Management Orders produced by the Court Audit.

    Bangladesh · Court Audit · 2022

  • 64

    districts covered by the national Justice Audit, using 2016 data. The findings identified a need for local justice services; the government subsequently expanded Village Courts nationally.

    Bangladesh · Justice Audit · 2018

  • <2months

    from contract signing to validated data in each state.

    South Central Somalia · Justice Snapshot · 2020

Commissioned or funded by European Union · UNDP · UNICEF · UK FCDO (formerly DFID) · GIZ / BMZ · UNOPS

From problem to impact

Five moves that take a justice system from scattered records to change that can be measured.

01The problem

Plenty of data. Little evidence.

Justice systems hold large volumes of information across separate institutions. Those records do not, on their own, show how the system works as a whole.

Held separately, rarely connected

  • Police records
  • Prosecution files
  • Court registers
  • Prison rolls
  • Legal aid logs
Separate bundles of case files, ledgers and notebooks, each tied up on its own, spaced apart on a dark table.
Fig. 01 – Records held in separate silos01 / 05

02The audit

Examine the whole chain.

Justice Audit connects institutional data with practitioner knowledge and user experience. It examines police, prosecution, courts, prisons and legal aid as one system: problems in one institution may be caused or amplified by another.

Consolidated into one picture

  • Institutional data
  • Case data
  • Resources
  • Infrastructure
  • Geography
  • Practitioner knowledge
  • User experience
Five etched glass layers – geography, districts, institutions, caseloads and a grid – aligned so one amber point shines through them all.
Fig. 02 – Layers of evidence, consolidated02 / 05

03The evidence

See where the pressure is.

Verified, granular evidence shows what actually happens – down to the individual district, court or prison.

The line of analysis

  1. What should happen
  2. What actually happens
  3. Where the system is under pressure
  4. Why
  5. What can realistically be changed
Illustration of a hypothetical national system with example pressure points.
Fig. 03 – Illustration of a hypothetical national system; example pressure points marked03 / 05

04The action

Turn findings into a sequence.

An Action Matrix converts the evidence into prioritised, sequenced measures. A time-bound Roadmap sets out how progress will be measured.

Prioritisation can consider

  • Urgency
  • Impact
  • Feasibility
  • Cost

Milestones agreed for the assignment.

A printed matrix seen from above, with hatched cells and three amber squares marking priorities, a steel ruler and pencil below.
Fig. 04 – Findings scored, then sequenced04 / 05

05The impact

Measure what changes.

Repeat Justice Snapshots show whether performance has improved against the baseline. The method is designed to help national institutions maintain and update the evidence.

The reform cycle

  1. Audit
  2. Act
  3. Snapshot
  4. Measure again
Illustration of a national team working with justice data and maps.
Fig. 05 – Illustration: building national capacity to maintain the evidence05 / 05

The Justice Audit difference

From what seems to be happening to what the evidence shows is happening.

Justice Audit goes beyond laws and formal structures to examine how institutions actually work together.

Traditional assessment Justice Audit
What does the law say?What happens in practice?
Institution by institutionThe whole justice chain
National averagesGranular geographic and institutional data
Report findingsActionable measures
Consultant assessmentEvidence verified with institutions
One-off studyA baseline capable of being updated
RecommendationsPrioritised actions and indicators
Data collectedData, tools and skills transferred to national teams
Secondary-source dataInstitutional data and primary research, with available breakdowns by gender, age, disability and geography

Products

What problem are you trying to solve?

Four products, one methodology. Choose the starting point that matches your question – each comes with a two-page briefing.

  1. 01 We need a complete picture of how our justice system performs. Justice AuditSee the whole system. ProducesAction Matrix and time-bound Roadmap
  2. 02 We need a rapid baseline to plan reform and measure progress. Justice SnapshotEstablish the baseline. ProducesAction Matrix and time-bound Roadmap
  3. 03 We need to understand and reduce our court backlog. Court AuditFind and tackle the backlog. ProducesCase Management Orders (CMOs)
  4. 04 We need to tackle prison overcrowding and long pre-trial detention. Prison AuditUnderstand who is in prison – and why. ProducesIdentification of people eligible for lawful release and policy recommendations

Not sure which fits? Compare all four products or describe your problem to us.

Instrument 01 / 04 Justice Audit Illustrative
Read from the bottom: five layers of evidence on one country – geography, districts, institutions, caseflow and the experience of people using the system. The amber axis is a pressure point traced through every layer. Pressure point InstitutionsMeasured again Pending casesUnder 1 year1 – 3 yearsOver 3 years HeldEligible for release

Applications

One methodology. Three conversations.

Apply the methodology to EU accession, investment or a government’s first 100 days.

  1. Etched plate: the elevation and seating plan of a parliamentary chamber, its rows of seats drawn as points, one marked in amber. AWith an EU Delegation “How do you know that reforms associated with the acquis are changing institutional performance in practice?” Justice Audit – EU Accession Edition Measure implementation, not simply alignment. EU Accession Edition
  2. Etched plate: a port and its hinterland in plan – quays, cranes, warehouses and ships on approach – with an amber point inland. BWith an investor or development bank “What lies beneath the country’s headline rule-of-law score, and where does the justice system create – or reduce – investment risk?” Justice Audit – Investment Edition Justice performance is part of the investment environment. Investment Edition
  3. Etched plate: a city skyline at dawn with concentric rings rising behind it, above a timeline with one amber tick near the start. CWith an incoming government “What justice system have you inherited, what should you change first, and how will you demonstrate progress?” Justice in 100 Days Find what can change now. See the 100-day approach

From data to action

The purpose of collecting data is not to produce more data. It is to identify what needs to change.

Action MatrixIllustrative example
Fig. 06 – Findings scored, then sequenced. Priorities in amber.LowHigh

★Central to the Justice Audit

The Action Matrix

The Action Matrix turns findings into prioritised, sequenced actions. It links priorities to evidence and identifies the institutions responsible for implementation.

  • Findings linked directly to practical measures
  • Prioritisation can consider urgency, impact, feasibility and cost
  • Quick wins separated from system reforms
  • Responsible institutions, resource implications and indicators identified

  1. 01Action Matrix

    What to change, in what order, and who is responsible.

  2. 02Roadmap

    Agreed indicators, targets and milestones show whether actions are being implemented and make progress visible.

  3. 03Sustainability

    Regular updates keep the evidence current. Data, tools and skills are transferred to help national institutions maintain and update the baseline.

From data to action

Where we work

Evidence built country by country.

Justice Audit products have been applied across Asia, Africa and North America, in different institutional contexts.

10countries where the methodology has been applied, since 2011

  • Afghanistan
  • Bangladesh
  • Ethiopia
  • Lao PDR
  • Malawi
  • Malaysia
  • Somalia
  • South Sudan
  • Sri Lanka
  • United States
Explore where we work

What partners and institutions say

In their words.

Ministers and development partners describe the value of Justice Audit and Justice Snapshot.

It brings together reliable information in one place so that we can identify gaps, understand priorities, and make better decisions for the future.

Minister of Justice, Sri Lanka Sri Lanka Justice Snapshot

Who stands behind it

One network. Different teams. Built around the context.

Justice Audits bring together international and national expertise. Governance and Justice Group and Justice Mapping maintain the international network; teams are selected for each assignment.

Justice Audit leadership

  1. Tier 01

    Justice Audit leadership

    Stewardship of the methodology, strategic direction and quality assurance.

  2. Tier 02

    International expert network

    Practitioners, researchers and specialists, constituted around each assignment.

    • Justice institutions & practice
    • Rights, inclusion & political economy
    • Data, research & analytics
    • Mapping, digital & technology

  3. Tier 03

    National expertise

    National researchers, practitioners, universities, law schools, NGOs and paralegal organisations, embedded throughout. National expertise is part of the methodology. It builds analytical capacity and institutional ownership, helping institutions maintain and update their own Audit data.

Meet the network
→Start a conversation

Start with the question you are facing.

Start with a conversation about a specific problem. Choose the one closest to yours and tell us a little about your context.

  1. 01Could a Justice Audit work in your country?
  2. 02Planning justice reform in the first 100 days?
  3. 03Preparing for EU accession?
  4. 04Examining justice and the investment environment?
  5. 05Need to understand court backlog or prison overcrowding?