• Recognise that RoL development is primarily about power and politics, and not a technical practice to be left to lawyers, police officers, prison wardens, etc. It requires political acumen and development knowledge.

• Mould support for RoL development to existing configurations of power and politics, rather than in accordance with the desires of donors or practitioners, which occurs all too often when it comes to donor-supported RoL initiatives.

• Accept that in many instances significant elements of a recipient government and the domestic elite are political inclined not to engage in RoL development.

• Expand programming beyond the narrow confines of the criminal justice system into other areas of RoL that are of particular relevance to gender equality, such as family law, administrative law, juvenile justice and property/land rights.

• Initiate programming that goes beyond the institutional capacity development model, which primarily includes the provision of technical assistance, training, capital equipment and infrastructure to the agencies of the state.

• Adopt greater service delivery and problem-solving approaches that assume experience with the RoL perspective.

• Acknowledge and programme support for those local providers of justice and security that are legally authorised to deliver services, but are not state ministries and agencies.

• Conduct detailed empirical analyses as often as possible and base RoL support programming upon such analyses.

• Recognise that sustainability can be promoted if community-driven development projects are integrated into justice and security programming. 

Compiled by: Eric Scheye

This publication was made possible through funding provided by the UK Department for International Development (DfID). In addition, general Institute funding is provided by the governments of Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden.