Publications
Read and download reports, handbooks, briefing papers, legal and policy submissions, and fact sheets from the Open Society Justice Initiative.
Legal Aid in Europe: Minimum Requirements under International Law
This briefing paper summarizes the current minimum international legal standards on the right to legal aid, drawing on European human rights law and global principles and standards.
April 2015Presumption of Guilt: The Global Overuse of Pretrial Detention
Combining statistical analysis, first-person accounts, graphics, and case studies of successful reforms, this report is the first ever global survey of the damage done by unnecessary and arbitrary pretrial detention.
September 2014Justice 2015: Measuring Justice in the Post-2015 Development Framework
How access to information, legal identity, legal participation, and legal services could be incorporated into the world's new development agenda. A primer on justice targets.
December 2013What is Pretrial Justice?
What does a functioning pretrial justice system look like? This fact sheet lays out in simple graphic terms the main steps towards ensuring proper protection of detainee rights.
November 20132014–2019: Strengthening Arrest Rights in the European Union
This fact sheet sets out the remaining priorities for development of E.U.-wide standards on arrest and criminal procedural rights.
November 2013 | Kersty McCourtJustice Initiatives: Legal Empowerment
Eight case studies look at how legal empowerment projects can reduce poverty and help people realize their rights; with a forward by George Soros.
September 2013The Socioeconomic Impact of Pretrial Detention in Guinea Conakry
Three non-governmental organizations surveyed 105 adult pretrial detainees in two prisons to gather information on how their detention affected their socioeconomic position.
May 2013The Socioeconomic Impact of Pretrial Detention in Ghana
A report on the impact of pretrial detention in Ghana based on a survey of the experiences of 45 adults held in Kumasi prison.
May 2013