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.

What is a Justice Audit?

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

01What it does: Connects data normally held separately by institutions to examine 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.

Applied in 11 countries, 17 engagements, since 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