Trust in justice: why it is important for criminal policy, and how it can be measured. Final report of the Euro-Justis project

Abstract

This report marks the completion of the Euro-Justis project. It does three things. First, Chapter 2 sets out a conceptual framework – or a set of ideas – about ‘trust-based justice’, arguing that building trust in justice ought to be a central priority for governments across Europe. It explains why we believe it is important to use indicators of public trust in justice as a barometer for testing the state of criminal justice systems across Europe. Chapter 3 proposes practical ways in which member states can and should measure public trust in justice. It summarises the concepts that are important to measure, and presents the way that we think measurement is best done. Chapter 4 sets out some of the findings from the piloting process, presenting preliminary results from Bulgaria, France, Italy and Lithuania – to give a flavour of how to make use of indicators in order to inform careful and longterm criminal policies.