Criminal Investigation Standards Program: space for growth for investigators and prosecutors

The community of standard-setters has been enriched by graduates of the fourth stream of the Criminal Investigation Standards development program. From the very beginning, the newly formed group impressed with its involvement and openness. It is noteworthy that all 33 participants made it from start to finish.

“This long-term program is a space for growth for investigators and prosecutors who are leaders in their professional communities. After all, we work a lot with the focus on synchronizing the prosecution and a common understanding of what the pre-trial investigation is about and how to act optimally for efficiency and quality. But alongside the classic ‘hard’ topics, we integrate other focuses of discussion into the program. We believe that this allows us to work with different aspects of the investigator’s and prosecutor’s work, such as understanding themselves, personal growth, training their thinking and expanding the humanitarian framework,’ says Vasylyna Yavorska, Head of JustGroup.

We diligently prepare for each development program, so we start preparing in advance. Therefore, a working meeting of standard-oriented trainers was held the day before. Judges, prosecutors, investigators, and detectives jointly reflected on the experience of the three previous programs and thought about the updates that should be implemented. This resulted in a framework for the program of three 3-day modules, which took place in September-November 2024. 

About the Program

The main focus of the Program, of course, was on pre-trial investigations. Together with trainers and criminal justice experts, we reviewed algorithms of actions in key processes based on national and international law, clearly delineated the roles of participants in the pre-trial investigation, and worked with many procedural documents.

The Program is based on the practical guide ‘Standards of Pre-trial Investigation’ (download for iOS and Android). This is an applied tool for investigators, detectives, prosecutors, investigating judges, and judges, created in 2020. It covers all stages of the pre-trial investigation: from the detention of a suspect to the end of the investigation and referral of the case to court.

However, in addition to hard skills, participants also developed soft skills. In particular, we devoted time to boosting such skills as communication, emotional intelligence, resilience, and the ability to build partnerships. They had the opportunity to improve their leadership skills and ability to set up processes by understanding the expected results, not just the processes.

About the trainers

The expert team of trainers are practitioners without whom it would be impossible to implement this development program. The team includes representatives from various institutions: prosecutors from the Prosecutor General’s Office and district prosecutor’s offices, detectives from the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine, judges from the High Anti-Corruption Court, the Supreme Court, and other institutions. 

It all started with a small group of people who felt the need to streamline and standardize the processes at all stages of the pre-trial investigation. It was on their initiative that the development of the Criminal Investigation Standards began. After that, the logical step was to create a development program to help others learn unified practices and approaches to ensure that investigations are of high quality and effective. Today, the core team consists of 10 trainers — criminal justice practitioners, three of whom are also the program’s module curators. We also engage external experts, depending on the request, to ensure that the expertise is balanced.

“Being a trainer is not just a challenge, it is a great responsibility and an opportunity to make a real contribution to reforming the legal system. I am sincerely proud to have had the opportunity to work with such a motivated audience. I was impressed by how deeply the participants dived into the training materials, asked questions, and shared their experiences. This interaction created a space for a constructive dialogue that was useful and interesting,’ says trainer Vira Mykhailenko, Head of the HACC. ’The Program clearly shows how important it is to comply with standards and implement modern approaches in the pre-trial investigation process. It is especially inspiring that the Program does not just impart knowledge, but also shapes new thinking focused on justice, objectivity, and respect for every person.”

Denys Hulmahomedov, the Program’s trainer and the NABU First Deputy Director, says that interaction with the participants is both exhausting and energizing: 

“For me, the experience of communicating with different practitioners of the criminal justice system is very useful. It allows me not only to share best practices but also to improve my own skills. I believe that JustGroup is making a significant contribution to the realization of what I believe in — transforming Ukraine’s criminal justice system into an effective and fair one. This is possible in part because of programs such as the Criminal Investigation Standards.

About the participants

This is the fourth wave of the Program. We have seen very different representatives of these professions since 2020. The trainers and the JustGroup team were impressed with this set, in particular, with people’s motivation to develop, openness, and proactivity in interaction.

The participants included 33 representatives of various state institutions of the criminal justice system, including the PGO and regional prosecutor’s offices, the NABU, the National Police of Ukraine, and the Security Service of Ukraine. The event brought together men and women from all over the country: Kyiv, Vinnytsia, Dnipro, Sumy, Zhytomyr, Chernihiv, Kharkiv and Odesa. This is extremely valuable for spreading the practice of the Standards among different teams.

“This Program has become a real impetus for me to rethink many aspects of my work. It motivates you to reconsider your approaches, find common sense in difficult situations, and strive to be more effective in everything you do. The material is presented in such a high-quality and accessible way that each session is inspiring. The participants, who openly shared their experiences, created an atmosphere of trust that fostered deep reflection and useful discussions. This Program is more than just training. It provides motivation for development, helps to approach work in a meaningful way, and become more effective in your work,” says Oleh Lozovyi, a graduate of the Program and head of the Department of Corruption Prevention at the National Police of Ukraine.

Inter-module events and the cultural component

The humanitarian component has become an important part of the Program. We are convinced that in this historical period, understanding our heritage is important for all Ukrainians. This knowledge is also important for the future of the criminal justice system, which must make fair decisions for society. 

Thus, the Program’s partners, the Faculty of Law of the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, facilitated several inter-module events. The first meeting at the university was devoted to reflections on the topic of the philosophy of law with the guest Mykola Kozyubra, Doctor of Law, Professor, and retired judge of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine. Another event took place at the Omeljan Pritsak Research Center for Oriental Studies at the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy. The legacy of the prominent Ukrainian scholar made a significant impression on the Program participants and hopefully inspired them to further explore Ukrainian culture. 

We also planned a visit to the Taras Shevchenko Museum to learn more about the Kobzar and to be inspired by the ‘place of power’, which is located on the banks of the Dnipro River and is part of the Shevchenko National Reserve.

Results and plans

This Program is the longest and largest of all JustLearn programs. Feedback from participants is extremely important to us, and we were pleased to read about what they are ready to implement in their practice:

• I plan to apply the change strategy in stages to the entire block. I want to change approaches in the institution.
• I will trust the team more, do practice to improve interaction and understanding of each other.
• I will try to apply all standards because each of them is real, promising, and useful for all participants in criminal proceedings.

We will take the feedback into account when planning the next program in 2025, and we are currently preparing to implement new projects: an online course and a customized seminar on Criminal Investigation Standards for heads of investigative units of the National Police of Ukraine. This event will take place on the initiative of the Program alumnus Oleh Lozovyi and with the support of the leadership of the Main Investigation Department of the National Police. 

The Program is developed and implemented by the JustLearn development hub, supported by JustGroup, in partnership with the Faculty of Law of the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, with the support of the Transformational Recovery for Human Security in Ukraine project, funded by the Government of Japan and implemented by UNDP Ukraine.