Seeing Justice Through People’s Eyes in the Dominican Republic

How do people interact with the justice system, and how can we capture their experiences within and beyond courtroom records? To better understand this, the World Justice Project (WJP) joined forces with the Dominican Republic Judiciary and UNDP to create and implement a people-centered legal framework.

Traditionally, legal justice data is fragmented and focused on internal processes. This new WJP initiative aims to change that perspective by putting the people at the heart of the system.

A Holistic Picture of Justice

The Dominican Justice Outcome Indicator Framework is a practical measurement tool that transforms fragmented data—from court records to user surveys—into a holistic picture of the justice experience. By connecting these dots, the framework reveals exactly where people need support and how systems can better respond, particularly for marginalized individuals who remain outside the formal legal process.

The framework captures critical data across:

• Resolution of justice problems
• Perceptions of procedural fairness
• Trust in the justice system
• Access to:
  • Information for resolving problems
  • Assistance and advice
  • Dispute resolution mechanisms
  • Prevention of justice problems

An Online Course for Peer Learning

To facilitate the translation of this framework into real-world action, WJP developed a self-paced online training consisting of 27 lessons fragmented into 6 learning modules.

Global Impact and Scalability

WJP’s methodology is designed to be adaptable across countries and contexts. From our work in the Dominican Republic to ongoing projects in England and Wales, we are helping justice institutions focus on outcomes that reflect people’s needs, strengthening trust and creating lasting change that people can feel.

Explore the complete data, lessons learned, and methodology behind this project.