These pages give information on the Judiciary Advocacy activities in the TI global movement, tools used in the fight against judicial corruption, the TI-S Judiciary Advocacy Working Group, resources on upcoming judicial events and useful links.

It is difficult to overstate the negative impact of a corrupt judiciary: it erodes the ability of the international community to tackle transnational crime and terrorism; it diminishes trade, economic growth and human development; and most importantly, it denies citizens impartial settlement of disputes with neighbors or the authorities. When the latter occurs, corrupt judiciaries fracture and divide communities by keeping alive the sense of injury created by unjust treatment and mediation. Judicial systems debased by bribery undermine confidence in governance by facilitating corruption across all sectors of government, starting at the helm of power. In so doing they send a blunt message to the people: in this country corruption is tolerated.

TI, as reflected in four policy position papers, particularly advocates for the following issues in the field of judicial reform:

These points have been conspicuously absent from many judicial reform programmes over the past two decades, which have tended to focus on court administration and capacity building, ignoring problems related to judicial independence and accountability. Much money has been spent training judges without addressing expectations and incentives for judges to act with integrity. Money has also been spent automating the courts or otherwise trying to reduce court workloads and streamline case management, which, if unaccompanied by increased accountability, risks making corrupt courts more efficiently corrupt.

For more information, please contact Angela Keller-Herzog at akeller-herzog@transparency.org or the Judicial Advocacy Working Group (JAWG) at judicial-integrity@transparency.org.