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Crime Justice

Nikita was mugged on her way back from work. The two men stole her wallet, cell phone and laptop. She filed a police complaint but the thieves were not found. She feels anxious while moving around the city now. Nikita needs a solution to move on with her life.

This page shows data on crime problems similar to the one experienced by Nikita. You can find data on outcomes that people get for their problems, the impact of problems on people’s lives, the kind of help people look for, knowledge on what works to solve crime and some bottlenecks.

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Meet Nikita

I no longer feel safe walking around in the city want to be compensated for what I have lost.

Nikita

This is what Nikita wants to achieve

My life will look different when my problems are resolved. I will feel confident and secure in public places in the city, with no anxiety. The kind of outcomes that I need are:

Nikita

Most crime problems that people experience relate to property and theft, leading to loss of income and time. Some more violent crime may lead to injury. Many crime problems remain unresolved.

Crime problems cause stress and loss of income

People want compensation for loss of income or property and an understanding of what happened. They also want to feel safe and protected. In some cases, people want the perpetrator to be punished.

So far, people in Ethiopia and Uganda were asked about the kind of outcomes that they are getting when dealing with crime.

There are many more people like me, who experience crime problems

This is the average number of new crime problems in a country, per year. The number is extrapolated from the Justice Needs and Satisfaction survey conducted in 17 countries.

I experience loss of income, injury and stress. My problem has caused negative effects.

The graph shows that loss of income, stress and loss of time are the most prevalent consequences of crime problems. The second graph points out that crime problems have a severe negative impact on people.

My problem has been going on for a long time. I am in need of a fair resolution.

This graph shows percentages of people whose crime problems were resolved, are ongoing or are partially resolved.

People were asked about high-impact problems that they experienced in the last four years.

The graph shows that in general crime problems are relatively unlikely to be completely or partially resolved.

People get help in different ways. Some go to court. Others take action by themselves.

There are many ways to resolve crime problems. This is where people go if they need a solution.

The steps that people take to resolve a problem is a justice journey.

This graph shows dispute resolution mechanisms they may use during a journey.

As the data shows, self-action and police networks are important resolution mechanisms when dealing with crime.

I want compensation for my loss of income and time. Where do I go?

Data shows that in many countries the police were perceived as the most helpful in resolving crime. Data from other countries such as Bangladesh and Ethiopia suggests that personal networks are most helpful.

Do people with crime problems get solutions they are looking for? The broad idea of justice can be broken down in a number of elements. Respect, voice and procedural clarity are things that people value in a procedure. In outcomes, they want compensation for income, time or injury and they want to feel safe without threat of violence.

Bottlenecks in dealing with crime problems

For people dealing with crime problems, it is difficult to move on with their life. Crime has a severe impact on people and realising justice can be difficult for many reasons, especially if the perpetrator is not caught. Criminal procedures are timely, costly and do not often lead to resolution or agreement. Many interventions in criminal justice are aimed at investigation, prosecution and punishment, much less so at restoration.

It is important to listen to victims, offenders and society as a whole and put their outcomes at the centre of interventions. One way to do this is to measure and monitor outcomes within criminal justice systems and make sure procedures are aimed at realising these. One major bottleneck appears to be financial structures as these are often aimed at output and activities and not so much on outcomes. Redesigning criminal justice finance to allow for more societal relevance and impact would be a logical next step.

Photo by kat wilcox

Innovations in crime justice

As the data on this page show, many people do not succeed in resolving crime problems. The above recommendations showcase good practices that have the potential to deliver fair outcomes to people. Along with these recommendations, there also exist innovations that are actively providing creative solutions to crime problems.

Here are some examples of innovations that are successful in reimagining justice delivery in crime related disputes:

Upesy is a mobile application that unifies top emergency service providers, offering security, ambulance, and roadside assistance on a single platform.

Upesy (Kenya)

E-Arbitrator, based in Rwanda, is an online platform streamlining dispute resolution for East African businesses engaged in cross-border trade. By providing a convenient and cost-effective digital alternative, E-Arbitrator eliminates the need for lengthy travel and reduces transaction costs associated with dispute resolutions.

E-arbitrator (Rwanda)

CrimeSync offers a web and mobile application designed for justice sector stakeholders. This digital, cloud-based tool facilitates the organization, collaboration, and information sharing among courts, police, and other institutions through electronic case management. This streamlined process reduces the time spent on individual cases and automatically resolves matters that do not necessitate extensive court procedures. The primary goal is to prevent individuals from ending up in jail when their cases do not necessarily require such measures

CrimeSync (Sierra Leone)

Willminds simplifies the entire process of filing, processing, and tracking disputed cases on a single platform, providing a direct fee calculator for justice seekers. As a one-stop dispute resolution shop, it effectively addresses the challenges of accessibility, fairness, and efficiency in Lebanon's legal landscape, eliminating barriers and making justice more accessible to Lebanese citizens.

Willminds (Lebanon)

Legal Advice Middle East serves as an online legal services marketplace connecting consumers and legal service providers across the Middle East. The platform facilitates seamless communication and transactions between clients and lawyers, offering consumers multilingual access to a unique lawyers directory, free initial advice through public Q&As, live chat, or callback requests, and various online legal services. These services include remote consultations, drafting/reviewing legal documents, and more. Additionally, consumers benefit from a wealth of region-specific legal information, including a law database, a legal blog, a legal dictionary, and answers from lawyers for similar questions. For attorneys and law firms, the platform provides a space for effective online promotion, lead generation, rendering simple legal services online, and access to a legal knowledge base.

Legal Advice Middle East (UAE)

Justice Dashboard

Justice Dashboard

Crime Justice

Meet Nikita

This is what Nikita wants to achieve

Crime problems cause stress and loss of income

The outcomes that people get

How many new crime problems appear every year?

The impact and consequences of dealing with crime

To what extent are problems being resolved?

People get help in different ways. Some go to court. Others take action by themselves.

These are the justice providers people go to for help.

These are the most helpful justice providers

Evaluating experiences

Bottlenecks in dealing with crime problems

Innovations in crime justice

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