Rule of Law & Justice Sector Reform

Rule of Law

MPRI views rule of law as a critical component to any strategy aimed at building a stable, prosperous society.  Rule of law usually encompasses law and order, a government bound by laws, efficient and equitable justice, equality before the law, adherence to human rights, and the acceptance of rights and responsibilities alike by the public at large. To support these objectives, MPRI works with USG agencies and local partners to strengthen and reform constitutions, laws, and regulations at all levels and to ensure that legislatures, ministries, the courts and the legal profession support both a culture of lawfulness and access to justice for all.  Whether working on criminal justice issues or land reform, MPRI seeks to empower marginalized populations and to ensure that individuals are equal before the law whether their case will be addressed through formal or informal legal systems.  Depending on the situation and needs of our partners, MPRI designs and executes holistic and integrated rule of law programs that systematically address reform and capacity building of the many actors required to effectuate the rule of law.

Justice Sector Reform

Recognizing the disparate needs of transitional and unstable environments, MPRI tailors its Justice Sector Reforms programs to serve the unique needs of each national or local community in which we work. In transitional environments, we support justice institutions and legislators to identify critical weaknesses and to chart courses of action to achieve measurable improvements in effectiveness, transparency and fairness.  In unstable environments, we initially prioritize activities most critical to stabilization and then phase in relevant support based on local needs and resources. MPRI recognizes the systemic nature of justice and therefore designs reforms both within and across sectors.  Even when focusing on the needs of one institution, we seek to encourage integration and dialog among actors in the justice system and apply our experts’ capabilities in working with police, courts, prosecutors, defense counsel, prisons, and NGOs to provide broad-based access to the justice system.  In addition to legislative reform, institution building, and training/mentoring, MPRI implements targeted justice integration programs that build procedures and systems that effectively link, and increase coordination among the police, courts and prisons to allow them to operate more effectively.