The Criminal Investigation Standards online course is available for investigators and prosecutors
The Criminal Investigation Standards online course is a unique opportunity to gain access to practices that have already proven effective in the work of investigators, detectives, and prosecutors, and which are based on interaction and a common understanding of the roles of each. It will help to build an effective and efficient process of interaction between all participants in the pre-trial investigation.
In recent years, JustGroup, together with the criminal justice system practitioners, has actively worked to improve the quality of pre-trial investigation. Standardization proves to be an effective tool in this effort, helping the system remain flexible yet predictable.
We believe that further development of criminal justice in Ukraine is impossible without professionally developed, agreed, and implemented standards in various categories of crimes. The need for standardization is recognized and enshrined in the Overarching Strategic Plan for the Reform of the Entire Law Enforcement Sector for 2023–2027.
“Criminal justice is always a team effort. It doesn’t work effectively when everyone is pulling in their own direction or when there are no clear guidelines. That’s why we talk about standardization as a solution that allows us to ensure coherence and efficiency in the investigation process. Standards build trust within the system. When there’s a consistent understanding of processes and goals, it significantly enhances the effectiveness of teamwork — both between the investigator and the prosecutor, and across different departments and management levels,” says Vasylyna Yavorska, JustGroup Team Leader.
Developed in 2017-2020, the Criminal Investigation Standards were adapted to the app format and later used as the basis for a three-module development program for investigators/detectives and prosecutors. The developers of the program include practitioners from the Prosecutor General’s Office, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine, and judges of the Supreme Court, the High Anti-Corruption Court, and local courts.
We went further, and on May 28, 2025, with the support of UNDP Ukraine and the Government of Japan, we presented a Criminal Investigation Standards online course. This course contains effective practices that have already proven effective in a professional environment. It is based on the analysis of practical experience, legal requirements, and Ukrainian realities.
Commenting on the launch of the new course, Svitlana Kolyshko, UNDP in Ukraine Human Rights and Access to Justice Project Manager, said that approaches rooted in respect for human rights and the rule of law are important for driving transformative change in the criminal justice sector.
“This course is an essential tool for justice professionals – it promotes human rights, reinforces sound judgment, and establishes clear, consistent standards to guide pretrial investigations. This contributes to the broader goal of building back better, with a more resilient and rights-based criminal justice system.”
We encourage you to explore the Criminal Investigation Standards course. It’s designed to be the foundation for fostering highly effective and quality interaction between the investigating prosecutor and the investigating judge. You’ll learn how these standards function at each stage of the pre-trial investigation and hear compelling arguments from practitioners who successfully integrate them into their work.
The course is free and available to everyone on the EdEra online education studio platform via a link.
The Criminal Investigation Standards were developed by a group of criminal justice practitioners in 2017-2020 with the support of the Human Rights and Justice Program of the International Renaissance Foundation.
The Criminal Investigation Standards online course was designed by the JustLearn development hub, supported by JustGroup, and created by the EdEra online education studio with the support of the Transformative Recovery for Human Security in Ukraine project, funded by the Government of Japan and implemented by UNDP in Ukraine.
