Justice

Safety, security and access to justice

DFID’s approach to the justice sector aims to promote safety for all from violence and intimidation, security of personal property and equality of access to justice.  The approach, named ‘Safety, Security and Access to Justice’ (SSAJ), is innovative among donor organisations for three reasons.  Firstly, interventions aim to strengthen links across the whole justice sector, rather than working with individual institutions.  Secondly, DFID’s approaches are designed from the perspective of users, particularly poor people and vulnerable groups.  Thirdly, DFID uses a broad definition of the justice sector that includes non-state (or informal) justice and security systems, and takes these into account as part of a sector-wide strategy.

Page contents

Where is a good place to start?

Department for International Development 2000, Justice and Poverty Reduction: Safety, Security and Access to Justice for All, DFID, London.
The aim of this policy paper is to assist DFID's mission to improve the security and welfare of the world's poorest people through improving their access to justice. It observes that the burden of crime and civil disputes falls most heavily upon the poorest and most vulnerable sectors of society who are also those least able to access the justice system. Insecurity and lack of access to justice also have a wider economic cost, as resources are diverted from social welfare into policing, revenue is lost to invisible trade, assets are damaged or stolen, and consequently investment is discouraged.
Access full text: available online

Department for International Development, 2001, Guidance Note: Putting SSAJ Policy Into Practice, DFID, London.
This guidance note from DFID's Governance Department helps to operationalise DFID policies. However, it warns that each case should be treated individually and that the guidelines should not be read as a manual. All justice systems are different and have many components. Justice matters to poor people. The impact of theft, for example, is more severe if the victim is poor; and a lack of access to justice fosters corruption.
Access full text: available online

Programmes and projects

This page provides documents relating to specific programmes and projects in the justice sector.

Nigeria Access to Justice Programme

• The Poor and Informal Policing in Nigeria (long version)
• The Poor and Informal Policing in Nigeria (short version)
• Access to Justice Programme Nigeria - Land Rights of Woman and the Poor in Jigawa State
• Access to Justice Programme Nigeria - Land Rights of Woman and the Poor in Jigawa State Appendix 2
• Access to Justice Programme Nigeria - Land Rights of Woman and the Poor in Jigawa State Appendix 3
• Resolution of Civil Disputes in Jigawa State
• Media Monitoring Project on Accessible Justice Issues - Final Report
• Human Rights and Accessible Justice during the Proceedings of Igwes- In - Council in Enugu State, Nigeria
• Land Rights and Mechanisms for Resolving Land Disputes in Benue State
• Results of Women's Rights Survey

Tanzania Legal Sector Reform Programme (LSRP)

• Medium Term Strategy and Action Plan, volume 1, draft (March 2003) (pdf 294KB)

Uganda Justice, Law and Order Sector Programme

• Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 2004, Terms of Reference: Mid-term Evaluation of the Justice, Law and Order Sector (JLOS) Strategic Investment Plan for the Medium Term 2001-06 (pdf 187KB). The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs has produced these TOR of an evaluation of their strategic investment plan. The evaluation was due to be carried out in May/June 2004.
• Strategic Investment Plan Outline (pdf 92KB)
• Logical Framework (pdf 155KB)
• Justice, Law and Order Sector Part 1: Policy and Reform Framework (pdf 200KB)
• Justice, Law and Order Sector Part 2: Strategic Plan (pdf 404KB)
• Gender and Access to Justice Study (2002) (pdf 334KB)
• Executive Summary, Study on Gender and Access to Justice (pdf 171KB)
• SWAp Development and Implementation Process (powerpoint 312KB)
• A Study on Sentencing and Offences Legislation in Uganda; Justice, Law and Order Sector (2001) (pdf 313KB)
• Criminal Justice Reform Programme Terms of Reference for a Baseline Survey (pdf 182KB)
• Criminal Justice Baseline Study 1996-2001, final report (March 2003) (pdf 760KB)
• Criminal Justice Baseline Survey - Summary (2003) (pdf 891KB)
• TORs for Consultancy to Conduct a Baseline Study of the Justice Law and Order Sector Financial Management Systems (pdf 141KB)

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