U4 Theme:
Corruption in the Justice Sector
Corruption in the justice system damages a range of development goals: it denies poor people access to justice, it undermines the credibility of the political leadership, and it makes the country insecure for economic investment. Corruption occurs in numerous guises – bribery, nepotism, and influence trading – and affects different parts of the judicial process. Pliant prosecutors, judges and court staff may ignore criminal acts of corruption or have them improperly dismissed. When investigating criminal offenses, the police forces often enjoy discretionary powers which – if corruption is involved - can be used for distorting evidence, tempering with police reports, harassing witnesses, and the like. In fact, the judiciary and the police are perceived in many countries to be amongst the most corruption institutions. Given the centrality of the justice system for a range of development concerns, including land disputes, investment, and not least sanctioning corruption, ensuring that the judiciary is up to the task should be a primary concern of governments and donors. The United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) requires state parties to strengthen integrity and prevent corruption in the judiciary (Article 11). What does this imply in practical terms? What do we actually know about increasing integrity and reducing corruption in a sector as complex as justice? This thematic page consolidates relevant resources to inform national reform processes. |
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The significant reduction of street-level police corruption has been hailed as one of the success stories of post-revolutionary Georgia. However, a closer look reveals that the broader reform of Georgia's Ministry of Internal Affairs has a number of shortcomings.
This U4 Issue Paper discusses lessons related to monitoring judicial reform to the specific requirements of UNCAC Article 11.
This U4 Brief outlines the key requirements of, and considerations for, implementing United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) Article 11, i.e. how to 'take measures to strengthen integrity and prevent corruption in the judiciary'. | |
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L'efficacité de la mise en ouvre de la Convention des Nations unies contre la corruption (CNUCC) repose à la fois sur l'indépendance des systèmes judiciaires. L'Article 11 de la CNUCC stipule que chaque État partie doit « prendre des mesures pour renforcer l'intégrité [des magistrats] et prévenir les possibilités de les corrompre.» Nous analyserons ici les clés d'une mise en ouvre efficace de l'Article 11 de la Convention.
Un sistema judicial independiente e imparcial es la plataforma que permite la ejecución efectiva de la Convención de las Naciones Unidas contra la Corrupción (UNCAC). La UNCAC en sí, en su artículo 11, incluye el requisito de 'tomar medidas encaminadas a fortalecer la integridad y prevenir la corrupción en el sistema judicial'. En este Informe se desglosan los requisitos y consideraciones clave para implementar el artículo 11. | |
| INTEGRITY INDICATORS FOR USE IN JUSTICE SECTOR REFORMS | |
For some interesting insights into the design, use and implementation of justice indicators in developing countries, read the proceedings from a 2008 workshop at Harvard’s Kennedy School of government |
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Justice Sector |
Query the U4 helpdesk about corruption
in justice sector |
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U4 welcomes any | CONTACT |
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Jessica Leigh Schultz
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| RELEVANT EXPERT ANSWERS |
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| RECOMMENDED READING |
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Transparency International’s Global Corruption Report 2007 |