The Criminal Investigation Standards Program: Building a Shared Vision That Changes Practice

Standardisation in Ukraine’s criminal justice system is a complex challenge. Despite the widespread belief that “everything is already set out in the Criminal Procedure Code,” practice shows otherwise: investigators and prosecutors often interpret their roles, legal provisions, and operational algorithms differently. These approaches vary not only from region to region, but sometimes even between departments within the same institution.

For standards to work, they must be understood, internalised, and tested against one’s own practice. This requires time, openness, and a space of trust. This is precisely why we created the Criminal Investigation Standards program — a space where practitioners collectively shape a shared understanding of roles, approaches, and rules that make the system more consistent, predictable, and effective.

With the support of UNDP in Ukraine, in 2025, we implemented the fifth iteration of the program, bringing together investigators and prosecutors from different institutions and regions across Ukraine. For the program team, this marked another step in long-term work with a professional community committed to delivering quality, responsibility, and consistency in real, everyday practice.

“This program is a way of transmitting the ideas and meanings of criminal investigation standards not through a manual or a regulatory act, but through the thinking process and dialogue between participants and trainers. This time, we see a highly professional group composition — most participants have more than 10 years of practical experience. We believe that in such a configuration, the program fulfills its mission: it becomes a platform for rethinking experience that can sometimes turn into an anchor pulling us down,” shares Vasylyna Yavorska, Head of JustGroup.

Program Participants

The Criminal Investigation Standards program brought together 25 practitioners representing criminal justice institutions and, for the first time, the educational sector. Participants included representatives of the Office of the Prosecutor General, district and specialised prosecutors’ offices, NABU, ESBU, SSU, National Police of Ukraine, as well as the Dnipro State University of Internal Affairs and the SSU Institute of Yaroslav Mudryi National Law University.

For Yevhen Moskovka, Senior Investigator of the Bakhmut District Police Department in Donetsk Region, a key discovery was the very logic of standards and standardisation. He notes that these approaches will serve as a reliable professional reference point:

“The program opened the concept of standards and standardisation for me not as a denial of criminal procedural legislation, but as its solid guiding framework. Standards of detention, notification of suspicion, evaluation and collection of evidence — all of this was new, interesting, and genuinely meaningful for me.”

For Maryna Dubovyk, a prosecutor at the Office of the Prosecutor General, the value of the program lay not only in its professional content, but also in its strong focus on personal development — particularly the module on emotional intelligence:

“This program is not only about professional development, but also about personal growth. Significant attention was paid to developing emotional intelligence. In a lawyer’s work, it is critically important to be able to distinguish one’s own emotions from those of others. In a professional environment, this helps build effective teamwork and make balanced decisions that take different perspectives into account.”

Yaroslav Voronizhskyi, Senior Detective at NABU, shares the broader impact the program had on him — far beyond acquiring new skills:

“When you go through this program, you don’t just become a different lawyer — you become a different person. You gain more knowledge, your professional network expands, and you find like-minded people who help you see issues more broadly and clearly, including those you once perceived differently.”

Program Trainers and Experts

The training and expert team of the Criminal Investigation Standards program consisted of criminal justice practitioners who work within the system and understand its challenges from the inside. Their experience and willingness to share practical approaches make the program applicable and relevant to the real working conditions of investigators and prosecutors.

The program team included representatives of judicial institutions at different levels, law enforcement bodies, as well as experts from fields beyond criminal justice. This inter-institutional and interdisciplinary composition made it possible to examine the same procedural decisions from multiple professional perspectives, develop a shared understanding of standards, and pay attention to the personal development of participants as an integral part of professional capacity.

This multidimensionality was ensured by the team of trainers and invited experts, including:

• Oleksandr Tsyvinskyi — Director, Economic Security Bureau of Ukraine,
• Yurii Bielousov — Deputy Director, Economic Security Bureau of Ukraine,
• Denys Huliamohmedov — First Deputy Director, National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine,
• Pavlo Parkhomenko — Judge, Supreme Court,
• Vira Mykhailenko — Judge, Head of the High Anti-Corruption Court,
• Kostiantyn Shalota — Judge, Korolovskyi District Court of Zhytomyr,
• Iryna Samborska — Prosecutor, Office of the Prosecutor General,
• Ihor Polshchykov — Prosecutor, Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office,
• Viktoriia Livochka — Prosecutor, Sviatoshyn District Prosecutor’s Office of Kyiv,
• Vasylyna Yavorska — Head of JustGroup.

“Resources are always limited. The capacity to act is always smaller than the scale of need. Our key purpose is to convey to program participants that how they prioritise their resources directly determines whether an institution will achieve its core objectives, whether there will be tangible impact, and whether citizens will feel real, meaningful change,” notes Oleksandr Tsyvinskyi.

Invited experts included:

• Rasim Babanli — First Deputy Head of the Secretariat of the Supreme Court,
• Daria Svyrydova — Attorney-at-law, Partner at Azones,
• Arkadii Bushchenko — Judge, Supreme Court,
• Vitalii Sekretar — First Deputy Head of the Prosecutor’s Office of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol,
• Maksym Yelihulashvili — Expert of the coalition “Ukraine. Five a.m.”, dialogue facilitator on memorialisation, expert in conflict transformation and transitional justice,
• Iryna Morzhova — Certified consultant and analyst,
• Nataliia Rymar — Psychologist, soft skills trainer,
• Tymur Demchuk — Head of Corporate Programs, Kyiv-Mohyla Business School; PhD in Political Science,
• Den Dubravin — Emotional intelligence trainer,
• Olha Balashova — Art historian, Head of the Museum of Contemporary Art NGO.

In addition to their training roles, the program included a dedicated curatorial mission. Viktoriia Livochka, Iryna Samborska, and Ihor Polshchykov accompanied participants throughout the entire learning cycle, helping maintain focus on program goals and creating a safe space for complex professional conversations.

Module I: Roles, Decisions, and Professional Context

The program consisted of three three-day modules held between September and December 2025. Each module gradually deepened the discussion — from foundational roles and procedural decisions to complex issues of case completion and accountability.

The first module focused on building a shared framework for pre-trial investigation — understanding roles, responsibilities, and decision-making logic. Central attention was given to the roles of investigators and prosecutors. Clarity of these roles means fewer errors, more coordinated actions, and greater trust within teams. A separate focus was placed on prioritisation and working with limited resources, as investigative effectiveness depends not only on workload, but on the ability to set priorities correctly.

An important part of the module addressed procedural guarantees: the justification of detention, proper documentation of procedural decisions, and how courts assess these actions. Participants also discussed practical challenges related to entering information into the Unified Register of Pre-Trial Investigations and the differing approaches found in everyday practice. In this context, attention was paid not only to the letter of the law, but also to common sense as a tool for understanding procedural logic and recognising when decisions lose their sense of justice.

Another key dimension of the module was the human factor. Participants discussed resilience, resource preservation, emotional intelligence, and the impact of emotions on communication quality and investigative outcomes. This was a conversation about values, motivation, and what truly drives professionals working in a complex and demanding system. In parallel, participants developed communication skills — learning to build inter-institutional dialogue, negotiate in high-pressure situations, and find common ground even when positions differ significantly.

The first module involved work with the following trainers and experts: Oleksandr Tsyvinskyi, Yurii Bielousov, Denys Huliamohmedov, Kostiantyn Shalota, Rasim Babanli, Vira Mykhailenko, Iryna Samborska, Tymur Demchuk, Nataliia Rymar, Den Dubravin, and Iryna Morzhova.

Module II: Planning, Values, and Process Management

The second module focused on the mindset that shapes the quality of justice and the standards that allow criminal proceedings to be seen as a coherent process — from initial procedural decisions to their consequences in court. The module began with a joint discussion of the film The Mauritanian, which served as a starting point for reflecting on responsibility, justice, and how professional decisions affect trust in the justice system.

Participants then moved on to strategic and practical issues. Pre-trial investigation was examined as a complex project — with goals, teams, resources, and risks. In this context, they worked on investigation planning, evidence collection, coordinated teamwork, and efficiency management — understood not as speed, but as consistency and systemic decision-making.

Significant attention was given to standards of proof. Participants analysed typical mistakes, discussed why the quality of evidence is not measured by the number of documents, and explored how procedural decisions appear from the perspective of judicial review. A separate focus was placed on the standard of notification of suspicion — its justification and logic, the balance between law and humanity, and compliance with proper procedures, including structuring, service, and documentation.

Another focus of the module addressed the value-based dimension of law enforcement. Participants discussed how values are formed within the justice system and why evidence quality matters not only technically, but ethically as well. The module concluded with an open conversation about the daily realities of judicial work and court expectations regarding the quality of pre-trial investigation.

The second module involved: Yurii Bielousov, Denys Huliamohmedov, Vasylyna Yavorska, Viktoriia Livochka, Iryna Morzhova, as well as judges Kostiantyn Shalota, Vira Mykhailenko, and Pavlo Parkhomenko.

Module III: Completion, Responsibility, and Reflection

The third module marked the conclusion of the Pre-Trial Investigation Standards program. Over three days, participants worked on issues that most often determine the quality of criminal proceedings at the final stage.

The module began with a discussion of the book The Garden of Gethsemane. In group work, participants explored whether ensuring that “everything is done according to the law” (in line with the requirements of Soviet-era jurisprudence) always guarantees justice and compliance with standards. This discussion transitioned into a lecture on memory politics — how it influences the pursuit of justice, why it matters for legal professionals, and how it intersects with justice in the context of transitional justice.

Participants then addressed the completion of pre-trial investigation: when it can be considered finalised, the consequences of procedural decisions for the parties involved, and how to avoid a purely formalistic approach. Special attention was paid to the indictment as the outcome of pre-trial investigation and its connection to subsequent judicial proceedings — its structure, narrative logic, and how the document “works” in court.

Another block focused on the limits of proof, the role of evidence, and the responsibility of the prosecution. Participants also analysed the logic behind applying preventive measures, the necessity of their justification, and the role of economic reasoning in risk assessment.

In parallel, the module included work with a broader context through artistic perspectives and image-based thinking. Participants trained their ability to ask questions beyond purely legal analysis, enabling them to better understand individuals, context, and the societal processes justice engages with.

The closing element was a conversation about courage and the capacity for change — individually and collectively. Participants went through a “values and behavioural detox,” exploring democratic approaches to self-management, relationships, and teamwork.

“Very often, people engaged in work with a major mission also carry significant responsibility and stress. I believe it is essential to teach people in such challenging environments how to manage themselves, preserve meaning, and recognise how this process unfolds in others. That is why we talk about values, levels of consciousness, and practice ways to exit toxic relationships,” notes Iryna Morzhova, who worked with participants throughout the entire program.

The third module involved work with Daria Svyrydova, Arkadii Bushchenko, Vitalii Sekretar, Maksym Yelihulashvili, Vira Mykhailenko, Iryna Samborska, Viktoriia Livochka, Kostiantyn Shalota, Ihor Polshchykov, Olha Balashova, and Iryna Morzhova.

Intermodular Events and Cultural Component

Professional development is impossible without personal development. That is why each program day began and ended with reflection — conversations about internal change, responsibility for one’s decisions, and integrating newly gained experience into daily practice. This internal work also became the foundation for intermodular events held at the Faculty of Law of the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy. These meetings brought together not only current participants but also alumni of previous cohorts, helping maintain community continuity and combine diverse professional experiences in dialogue.

One such meeting focused on criminal law reform and the development of a new Criminal Code of Ukraine. The speaker was Professor Mykola Khavroniuk, Doctor of Law and Deputy Head of the Working Group on the new Criminal Code.

Another intermodular session centred on feedback as a key tool of professional interaction. Together with soft skills trainer Nataliia Rymar, participants worked on how to give and receive feedback in challenging work situations while maintaining respect, trust, and humanity.

The program also included a strong cultural component. The second module concluded with a visit to the Trypillia Culture State Historical and Cultural Reserve (Lehedzyne village, Cherkasy region). Vladyslav and Liudmyla Chabaniuk introduced participants to the life of ancient communities that sought harmony and created on this land more than six thousand years ago. In addition to the excursion, participants took part in creative workshops — painting replicas of Trypillian pottery and making traditional motanka dolls.

During the final module, a theatrical workshop was held by Marusia and Nadiia, acting coaches from Dakh School. They created a space free from professional roles and masks, where participants could explore themselves and their interaction with others through bodywork, voice, imagination, and personal experience. This reminded participants that a lawyer’s development extends beyond knowledge and skills to include the ability to feel, listen, and remain attentive to others.

On Motivation to Continue

The Criminal Investigation Standards program introduces a conversation and discussion within the criminal justice community as tools for finding optimal solutions. These are tools whose use often depends on the willingness of investigators and prosecutors to try doing things differently than usual. Cultivating this willingness requires inspiration and peer examples — something participants can also find within this program.

The Criminal Investigation Standards program was developed and implemented by the JustLearn development hub of JustGroup, in partnership with the Faculty of Law of the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, within the project “Inclusive Recovery Support for Resilience and Human Security in Ukraine”, funded by the Government of Japan and implemented by UNDP in Ukraine.

The program is based on the practical guide Criminal Investigation Standards (available for download on iOS and Android) — an applied tool for investigators, detectives, prosecutors, and investigating judges. It helps build a consistent logic of pre-trial investigation at all stages, from detention to case completion and referral to court.

Photo: Anna Putylina

More photos available in the album on the JustGroup Facebook page