What are justice sector corruption and integrity assessments?

We define justice sector corruption and integrity assessments broadly as those tools which aim to identify governance weaknesses and/or assess the extent of corruption in the justice sector as a whole (encompassing institutions such as the judiciary and courts, the legal profession, police and penal institutions, as well as processes such as the rule-of-law, access to justice, and reform efforts)1. 

Because there is considerable room for interpretation with regards to what actually constitutes the ‘justice sector’, the scope of assessments varies widely and may include: the legal and institutional framework, management of the justice system (planning, financial and administrative issues), trust in – and access to – justice sector institutions, independence, effectiveness and conduct of judges and lawyers, transparency and accountability of criminal justice (including policing, sentencing and prisons), and respect for the rule of law.

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1 The focus of this topic guide is on the sector-wide assessment tools although reference is made to sub-sectoral tools, such as those focussing on courts and the police.