Education also matters for strengthening justice systems themselves

Judges, prosecutors, lawyers, police officers and prison staff need training that goes beyond technical legal knowledge to include ethics, human rights, communication and community engagement. Evidence from 11 Latin American countries shows that better-qualified judges produce measurably better decisions. In Norway, a two-year academy for police officers emphasizes rehabilitation and human dignity and is associated with comparatively low reoffending rates.

• Many people believe that key justice system actors do not abide by professional principles and do not trust their actions and decisions.
• Address shortages of justice system professionals, including in education and rehabilitation roles, ensuring that people with strong qualifications are selected in courts, the police and correctional institutions.
• Invest in continuing professional development for judges, prosecutors, lawyers, police and prison officers, with the aim to build a rights-respecting, people-centred justice system.

Women prefer to be collaborative rather than directive

Women prefer collaboration, inclusion and participation, some studies find, while men tend to emphasize structure, hierarchy, performance and control. Women tend to apply more democratic and consensus-building methods, in contrast to directive and authoritative approaches more typically associated with male leadership.  

Women’s leadership has also often been characterized as relational, with attributes such as nurturing, empathy, intuition, compromise and care often given to them. As described above, female principals are more likely than their male peers to spend time interacting with parents and students according to the 2018 TALIS.