Publications
Read and download reports, handbooks, briefing papers, legal and policy submissions, and fact sheets from the Open Society Justice Initiative.
Myths of Pretrial Detention in Mexico
This Open Society Justice Initiative monograph provides a critical analysis of the most common arguments—or myths—used to justify the excessive, inhumane, and irrational use of pretrial detention in Mexico.
August 2010 | Guillermo Zepeda LecuonaEffective Criminal Defence in Europe
This report summarizes the findings of a research project that explores and compares access to effective defense in criminal proceedings across nine European jurisdictions.
June 2010 | Ed Cape, Roger Smith, and Taru SpronkenCriminal Force: Torture, Abuse, and Extrajudicial Killings by the Nigeria Police Force
Police in Nigeria commit extrajudicial violence and extortion with relative impunity, according to this report by the Open Society Justice Initiative and the Network on Police Reform in Nigeria.
May 2010More Candour about Criteria: The Exercise of Discretion by the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court
Much unease about the International Criminal Court boils down to one issue: how should the prosecutor decide, among thousands of crimes and perpetrators within his jurisdiction, which ones to charge? Open Society Justice Initiative executive...
April 23, 2010 | James GoldstonStrengthening the Nexus Between International Criminal Justice and National Capacity to Combat Impunity
This article contains remarks delivered by Open Society Justice Initiative Executive Director James A. Goldston at a panel discussion on complementarity at UN Headquarters on April 9, 2010.
April 9, 2010 | James GoldstonBetween Law and Society: Paralegals and the Provision of Primary Justice Services in Sierra Leone
This paper focuses on Timap for Justice, a pioneering organization expanding access to legal services in rural areas of Sierra Leone. This updated edition includes a new foreword by George Soros.
March 2010Costly Confinement
The costs of pretrial detention in Mexico are painfully high—for the state and its citizens in general, and for detainees and their families in particular.
February 2010 | Guillermo Zepeda LecuonaFact Sheet on Ethnic Profiling in Europe
This fact sheet, prepared by European Network Against Racism and the Open Society Institute, explains the practice of ethnic profiling across Europe.
October 2009