The IIJD created the “Justice System Reform Toolkit” as a method to assess national justice systems. The toolkit identifies objective qualities and practices of judiciaries, prison systems and the police force that are necessary for a healthy and efficient functioning justice system. These have been translated into carefully developed indicators and parameters that help determine whether the national justice systems we study possess these qualities and can be qualified as free and fair democracies. The Toolkit is essential in the analysis and assessment of organization and instititutional processes and in the recommandation for strengthening or reform.

The Toolkit is a mean of investigating the enduring problems in justice systems; these problems must be addressed in order to strengthen institutions and allow sustainable development in most African countries. Through the data developed using the Toolkit, the IIJD makes recommendations on how to facilitate the reform of inadequate justice systems institutions. First, we identify the characteristics and practices necessary for a strong and effective justice system, and then we apply these criteria to specific country cases and institutions. The ultimate goal of the Toolkit is to develop justice systems that are independent, free and fair to all and based in the rule of law. It is the firm belief of the IIJD that institutional reform will lead to the amelioration of the systemic underlying causes of poverty, instability, insecurity and underdevelopment in the continent of Africa and throughout the world.

A detailed set of indicator questions guides our research, the answers to which determine to what extent various aspects of the justice system meet the basic characteristics of internationally recognized norms.

As a document the Justice System Reform Toolkit is structured in the following manner. The first section introduces the basic concept of the elements of a justice system, including both the formal and informal institutions. The institutions are the judiciary, the prison system, the police force, and mechanisms of alternative dispute resolution. The next section outlines the specific characteristics used to assess the institutions within the justice system. Additionally, a glossary of research terms is included for quick and easy reference. The methodology section illustrates the specific tasks undertaken during the process of developing the indicator questions that guide our research. The indicator section lists the specific indicators we have applied to evaluate the institutions of the justice system. These indicators have two distinct sections of characteristics. The first are general indicators affecting all four justice system institutions. The second set of institutional characteristics refers to indicators applied to a specific aspect of the justice institutions, either transparency, accountability, accessibility, impartiality, efficiency, independence, predictability, or legitimacy. This section provides the detailed list of indicators, complete with questions that guide the investigation of justice systems by indicator. The final sections of the Toolkit include the IIJD’s final remarks, lists of resources utilized for the completion of the document, and related appendices.

Consistent with our founding mission, we seek with the Toolkit to consider first and foremost the considerations and perspectives of those directly affected by the targeted judicial system.

The IIJD Justice team has been working to evaluate sub-Saharan African judiciaries using the standards contained in the Toolkit. The by-country results, along with the final version of the Toolkit, will be posted soon on the IIJD Website.