The Governance and Justice Group

What The Governance and Justice Group does

The Governance and Justice Group (GJG) is a UK-registered private limited company founded in 2009 that operates as a free association of individual practitioners delivering criminal justice system reform advisory services. The firm is managed lightly by three directors (including co-founders Adam Stapleton and Kathryn English, both former UN-mission and UK Stabilisation Unit advisers) and draws on a roster of 17 named associates with decades of experience across Africa, South Asia, the Balkans, and fragile states. Stapleton is the architect of the Paralegal Advisory Service model and co-drafted the UN Principles and Guidelines on Access to Legal Aid in Criminal Justice Systems (2013).

GJG's core product is a suite of four proprietary justice audit methodologies — Justice Audit, Justice Snapshot (a 3-month rapid version for fragile states), Court Audit, and Prison Audit — developed in partnership with Justice Mapping (USA). These methodologies combine independent inspection of institutional data, survey and observational field data, triangulation, and an interactive visualization platform disaggregated by age, gender, and disability. Complementary service lines include Legal Aid / Paralegal Advisory Service design and the Village Mediation Programme for community-level dispute resolution. The firm works with sovereign governments (Bangladesh, Malawi, Ethiopia, Somalia, Somaliland, Sri Lanka, Lao PDR), inter-governmental bodies, NGOs, and academic institutions including Northwestern Pritzker School of Law.

GJG makes money through project-based consulting commissions funded by international development agencies — UNDP, GIZ, USAID, the British Council, SIDA, and the Embassy of Ireland — as well as direct government contracts. Engagements are invitation-only, with no standard public pricing; cost economics disclosed include approximately $120 per camp court session in Malawi, translating to roughly $6 per case reviewed or $15 per prisoner release. Go-to-market is entirely relationship-driven, with no resellers, marketplace listings, or self-serve channels, and the firm has no disclosed revenue, no external funding rounds, no patents, and no M&A activity.

Name

The Governance and Justice Group

Legal name

The Governance and Justice Group

Website

https://governancejustice.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Governance and Justice Group is a UK-based consultancy of expert practitioners delivering criminal justice system reform advisory services — including Justice Audits, Prison Audits, Court Audits, and Legal Aid design — to governments, inter-governmental bodies, and international development agencies across 25+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Justice Sector Consulting Services

NAICS

Justice, Public Order, and Safety Activities (922)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Rule of Law & Justice Sector Reform (BPADAGAB)

Keywords

• Criminal justice reform
• Justice audit services
• Prison audit
• Court case audit
• Legal aid advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

Purley

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Consulting and Advisory Services: GJG operates as a free association of individual practitioners who work on project basis with governments, inter-governmental organisations, NGOs, and international development agencies. Services are funded through development cooperation agencies and government commissions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Governance and Justice Group provides independent inspection, assessment, and reform advisory services for national criminal justice systems. Its core offerings are four proprietary audit methodologies — Justice Audit, Justice Snapshot, Court Audit, and Prison Audit — complemented by Legal Aid Services (including the Paralegal Advisory Service model) and the Village Mediation Programme for community-based dispute resolution.

Product overview

The Governance and Justice Group (GJG) offers a suite of four distinct justice audit products—Justice Audit, Justice Snapshot, Court Audit, and Prison Audit—specializing in independent inspection and assessment of criminal justice systems. These are complemented by Legal Aid Services (including the Paralegal Advisory Service model) and the Village Mediation Programme for community-based dispute resolution. The company operates as a consultancy/advisory organization rather than a technology product company, working with governments, inter-governmental organizations, and international development agencies to develop evidence-based solutions for justice system reform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Prison Audit Malawi: Remand population reduced by 54%, 180 prisoners released, Internal Rate of Return at 217%
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Public Administration International (PA*i*)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025GJG with PA*i* is supporting the institutionalisation of the Paralegal Advisory Service (PAS) in Bangladesh making Bangladesh the first country to entrench paralegals as a legal aid provider per UN Principles and Guidelines.
• Irish Rule of Law International (IRLI)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 October 2023Working with PASI to organize 'camp courts' to review remand lists identified in Prison Audit. IRLI lawyer team organized camp courts in Maula Prison to review eligible prisoners.
• Justice Mapping (USA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJustice Mapping is GJG's main partner in delivering the Justice Audit. Eric Cadora, Director of Justice Mapping, has played an instrumental role in developing the web-based visualization platform that allows users to view and analyze justice sector data. JM produces data visualization tools designed to help philanthropies, policymakers, and advocates reframe justice policy around places.
• Paralegal Advisory Service Institute (PASI), MalawicoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPASI is the primary implementation partner for Prison Audit and Village Mediation Programme in Malawi. Four paralegals from PASI conducted Prison Audits interviewing over 850 prisoners. PASI Director Clifford Msiska leads the Prison Audit work with GJG.
• Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law (Bluhm Legal Clinic)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Justice Audit Bangladesh with Justice Mapping and GJG. Prof. Thomas Geraghty serves as advisor on Justice Audit. GJG co-founders Kathryn English and Adam Stapleton served as Visiting Professors.
• Pathfinders for Peaceful, Just and Inclusive SocietiesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPublished blogs on Prison Audit Malawi findings, contributing to dissemination of GJG's work on SDG 16.3.2 progress.
• Malawi Prison ServicecoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerKey implementation partner for Prison Audit Malawi, providing access to prisons and collaborating on data collection and camp court organization.
• Malawi JudiciarycoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerChaired meetings on Prison Audit findings and conducted Camp Courts in Maula and Mzuzu Prisons to review eligible prisoners.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• International Development Law Organization (IDLO): Intergovernmental organization exclusively dedicated to promoting the rule of law and access to justice in developing countries, including justice sector assessments and reform programming. Closest direct comparable in terms of mandate and donor-funded service delivery to justice ministries.
• International Justice Mission: Global organization that partners with governments to strengthen justice systems, focusing on criminal justice reform, victim protection, and rule of law. Comparable in mission emphasis on practical criminal justice system strengthening across multiple jurisdictions.
• Fair Trials: International criminal justice NGO working on the right to a fair trial, with expertise spanning police investigations, prosecution, courts, and prisons across multiple jurisdictions. Comparable to GJG's full-system criminal justice audit approach.
• Penal Reform International: Global NGO focused on criminal justice reform and prison conditions, co-founded by Ahmed Othmani — the same figure whose vision directly inspired GJG's founding in 2009. Both organizations work with governments and international agencies on criminal justice reform in developing and post-conflict countries.
• DCAF – Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance: International foundation assisting partner states in justice and security sector reform, including criminal justice system assessments and donor-funded advisory programming. Operates with a similar model of working with governments and international agencies on governance reform.
• Justice Mapping: GJG's core methodology partner in delivering the Justice Audit; produces data visualization tools that help philanthropies, policymakers, and advocates reframe justice policy. Although also a partner, it is the closest operational peer in delivering justice-data analytics platforms.
• Justice Rapid Response: Standby partnership of experts that deploys on short notice to support investigations into international crimes and serious human rights violations, with strong overlap in justice-sector expertise for fragile and conflict-affected states.
• International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ): International NGO working to redress massive human rights abuses through transitional justice mechanisms, accountability, and rule-of-law reform in post-conflict societies. Highly comparable to GJG's Justice Snapshot work for fragile and post-conflict states.

Broad incumbents

• Open Society Justice Initiative: Philanthropy-funded program supporting strategic litigation, advocacy, and capacity-building on rule of law and criminal justice globally. Operates as a funder/incumbent with a broader portfolio beyond GJG's audit-specific service offering.
• UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime): UN agency with extensive criminal justice reform, prison reform, and rule-of-law programming worldwide, often acting as a funder and implementing partner for the kind of audits GJG delivers. Larger incumbent with broader mandate including drugs, crime prevention, and counter-trafficking.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-governance-and-justice-group

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Governance and Justice Group