Monitoring Wildlife Crime Cases: A Possible Approach to Reduce Corruption in the Justice System?
Author(s): Willow Outhwaite and Eleanor Drinkwater, TRAFFIC; Louise Shelley, TraCCC; and Mike Belecky, WWF
Publication Date: 2023
DOWNLOAD FILEThis practice note is based on interviews with 18 people who worked in or with justice systems in Africa, Asia, and South America, to understand their perception of the effect case monitoring can have on corruption in the justice system.
Monitoring cases can help identify and highlight weaknesses in the justice system and reduce corruption vulnerabilities related to wildlife crime cases. But projects must be designed with appropriate scope and resources, as impact takes time and is difficult to measure. Monitoring is likely most effective when monitors use multiple cases to identify patterns of red flags that indicate systematic failures. This note recommends several good practices, based on the interviewees' and authors' experiences. However, these practices must always be tailored to a specific context.
