JustGroup

🥳 The first stream of the elective course on Investigative Interviewing at the Faculty of Law of the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy has officially started! This results from the thorough work of a large team of experts and criminal justice practitioners united by JustGroup. During the course, students will be able to discuss, understand, and master the following key aspects 🔹What standards and techniques underpin effective interviewing 🔹What influences the ability to obtain reliable information during an investigative interview 🔹Why this approach is a priority for law enforcement training in progressive countries. Since the course is primarily aimed at developing students' understanding of this standard and acquiring practical skills, an important component will be interaction with practitioners - members of the national expert and training team on investigative interviewing. They will share their experiences and the results they have achieved using this methodology. Thus, the course at NaUKMA was opened by Yurii Belousov, Head of the War Department of the Prosecutor General's Office, Volodymyr Vasylchuk, Senior Detective of the NABU, Viktoriia Rogalska, Professor of the Dnipro State University of Internal Affairs, and Vasylyna Yavorska, Head of the JustGroup team. The Investigative Interviewing course for students was developed by JustGroup with the support of the Norwegian Centre for Human Rights (University of Oslo) and the Transformational Recovery for Human Security in Ukraine project, funded by the Government of Japan and implemented by UNDP Ukraine. Photo: Viktoriia Ivashyniuta

✊A lot of efforts have been made to strengthen the capacity of the national infrastructure for combating crimes committed in the context of armed conflict. Since 2022, JustGroup has been coordinating the work of practitioners and experts to standardize war crimes investigation processes. Thus, thanks to the analysis of practice and consultations with experts, we managed to develop an optimal solution — the Standard — that unifies the approach of investigators and prosecutors to war crimes investigations, promoting the effective use of best practices in investigations in a resource-limited environment. 💬"For me, the Standards are primarily about a common language between the investigator and the prosecutor. When they equally understand what exactly they need to establish in a particular proceeding and what means they need to use to prove all elements of the crime. Of course, each investigation is unique, but it is thanks to the standards that the investigator and prosecutor do not waste time finding out the fundamental things that are typical for crimes of a certain category,’ said Yurii Bielousov, Head of the War Crime Department of the Prosecutor General's Office. At the end of 2024, the Methodical Council of the Prosecutor General's Office approved the third Standard on illegal deportation, which is currently being prepared for publication. In parallel, five more Standards on the investigation are being developed: conflict-related sexual violence; looting; forced mobilization; attacks on civilian objects; and deaths of protected persons. This work is the result of a partnership built by JustGroup between the practitioners of the War Crime Department and representatives of Truth Hounds, the Ukrainian Women-Lawyers Association "JurFem", the Training Centre of Prosecutors of Ukraine, as well as experts Mykola Pashkovskyi and Yuliia Lisova. In January, representatives of the Ukrainian Legal Advisory Group (ULAG) joined the development of the standards. Alina Pavliuk, ULAG's Coordinator of work of lawyers and Analyst, will work with the team to create a new Standard that will focus on interaction with victims of war crimes, considering their rights, needs, and mechanisms for effective protection. These efforts bring us closer to establishing an effective investigation system that is in line with international best practices and ensures justice for victims. We thank the EU Project Pravo-Justice for its systematic promotion of standardization of war crimes investigations, as well as UNDP Ukraine for its support of this work! Photo: Ilona Tarhonii

✊When we talk about strengthening the criminal justice system's capacity in Ukraine, it is important to consider strengthening the capacity of the people in the system – their ability to cope with daily challenges. JustGroup experience working with war crimes prosecution and investigation units has shown that most managers are aware of the importance of mental health and its impact on team effectiveness. They also recognize the need for systematic work to develop prosecutors' psychological resilience. So, with a grant from the EU Project Pravo-Justice implemented by Expertise France, JustGroup is launching a systematic approach to building the psychological resilience of war crimes prosecutors. 👉More details: https://cutt.ly/8e5Cd7tR

We need to disseminate modern approaches and methods not only among criminal justice practitioners but also among students. After all, if we plant humanistic values in future lawyers during their studies, this investment will pay off with fair decisions ⚖️ In February 2025, elective courses on investigative interviewing will start at the Faculty of Law of the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy and UCU Law School. Before the start, students had a unique opportunity to talk to Asbjørn Rachlew, a Norwegian expert in investigative interviewing. He has become known for his achievements in investigations and improving interrogation techniques. The online meeting was held in a Q&A format, so students had the opportunity to ask the expert questions in person: 🔹What is the main secret of a successful interviewer? 🔹Can an investigative interview be used in every case or are there any exceptions? 🔹What are the most common methods from the field of psychology used during an investigative interview? Mr. Raklev emphasizes the importance of emotional neutrality and unprecedented honesty during the interview, which makes the technique effective even in complex investigations. His psychology-based approach helps to avoid manipulation and coercion of testimony, which is essential to ensure fairness in the legal process. The Investigative Interviewing course for students was developed by JustGroup with the support of the Norwegian Centre for Human Rights (University of Oslo) and the Transformational Recovery for Human Security in Ukraine project, funded by the Government of Japan and implemented by UNDP Ukraine.

🔥This first development event in 2025 marks not only the opening of the season but also the launch of a new direction — the Mentorship Program “Path to Excellence”! In JustLearn development programs, we set out to work with people who are not new to the system and have different experiences and prejudices. Sometimes we feel the resistance of program participants towards decisions that are not easy and not obvious. Time spent in the program working together helps to reduce this resistance. However, some people need additional support and a friendly shoulder to lean on as they implement change. 🔹Who becomes a mentor? They will be the current trainers of JustLearn development programs. They are professionals who have relevant expertise and have completed the mentorship program. Their main goal is not only to transfer knowledge but also to support, motivate, and help their mentees to achieve their goals. 🔹What are the areas for mentoring? As mentoring is a format for implementing post-support, we are currently introducing a Mentorship Program in three key areas implemented by the JustLearn Hub: Investigative Interviewing, Criminal Investigation Standards, and Management Standards. 🔹Who can become a mentee? Our mentees are graduates of each specific development program from all intake years. For instance, if you have completed the “Investigative Interviewing. Basic,” or “Criminal Investigation Standards” programs and would like to apply them in your professional activities but are unsure about certain steps, our mentors will help you navigate and achieve the desired results. 🔹How long will the mentor-mentee interaction take? As this is the program's first cycle, the duration of the mentoring interaction will be 3 months. During this time, mentees can create an individual development plan and receive regular support from their mentor, work on individual goals, receive feedback, and implement new skills in their professional activities. Mentees will have the opportunity to return to the JustLearn growth and support environment, meet their peers, and share experiences. 🔹Who are the members of the Mentorship Program team? Vasylyna Yavorska, Ann Petrovska, and Inna Vyshneshka are the masterminds and organizers of the program, who will facilitate its implementation at all stages. We are grateful to Nataliia Rymar, soft skills trainer, for her important contribution to the development and adaptation of the program upon our request. The Mentorship Program “Path to Excellence” was developed and implemented by the #JustLearn development hub, supported by JustGroup, with the support of the Transformational Recovery for Human Security in Ukraine project, funded by the Government of Japan and implemented by UNDP Ukraine. Photo: Serhii Khandusenko

There is much talk about the importance of culture for winning the war, although in reality we still underestimate its true potential in this regard 🎨 Art critic and head of the Museum of Contemporary Art NGO Olha Balashova started the season of #JustClub meetings with an incredible story about how the CIA used art in the Cold War with the Soviet Union. The lecturer helped us realize how valuable it is to work with art to position the state and develop its symbolic capital. We are grateful to Olha Balashova for an interesting lecture with a spy flavor that made us rethink the value of culture on a national scale. It was a charity event, so we also thank the participants for their donations for support of the soldiers of the 1st Tank Brigade🙌

🚀2024 was a year of significant progress in promoting investigative interviewing! We will continue to work in this direction, as we feel the request of the institutions and the support of the practitioners who want to transform the system into a more human-centered and fair. To summarise the main results: 🔹 The use of investigative interviewing techniques in the criminal justice system has been enshrined at the regulatory level for the first time (https://cutt.ly/GeMc1OpY). 🔹 6 basic and advanced programs were implemented, involving almost 150 criminal justice practitioners. 🔹 The role of curators was introduced to ensure the integrity of the overall program framework. 🔹 Approved elective courses on ‘Investigative Interviewing’ at the Faculty of Law of the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy and UCU Law School, which will start next semester. We are proud of these achievements and thank our partners for their support: UNDP Ukraine, Norwegian Centre for Human Rights, Training Centre for Prosecutors of Ukraine, the Faculty of Law of the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, and Dniprovsky University of Internal Affairs. We are also grateful to the Council of Europe Office in Ukraine, which supported the December meeting of the expert and training team on the development of investigative interviewing. This helped to reflect on a series of programs in 2024, identify points of change and growth, think about ways to support and strengthen the community, outline future horizons and dream ✨

🌟United by a common dream, today and always, we remember those who make it possible for Ukrainian traditions to be preserved in various manifestations in every home, and we thank every one of them. Merry Christmas from the JustGroup team 💙

The daily activities of the War Crimes Department of the Office of the Prosecutor General involve a struggle for justice in the difficult conditions of martial law. Alongside this, an important focus is people's internal strengthening and growth, especially managers. Joint efforts of the Department and JustGroup focus on systematic work on the War Crimes Investigation Standards, the implementation of investigative interviewing, and the development of a unified approach to investigation planning. We have started and will continue to work on these projects next year. But before that, it is important to look back at 2024, a period of intense work, new challenges, and important achievements. So, with the support of UNDP Ukraine, we designed and held a meeting of the War Crimes Department managers. The purpose of the meeting was to reflect on the results and experience of 2024, assess the internal potential and resources of the team, identify potential areas for growth, and discuss priority areas for 2025. We are grateful to Anton Drobovych, Iryna Morzhova, and Tymur Demchuk for their expertise, which allowed us to work with the Department's management team's growth areas from different perspectives 🙌

🙌Investigative interviewing with vulnerable people has its specifics. There are no unimportant details in preparing for a conversation with children who have committed an offense, people with mental disabilities, or victims of war. How to make the interview as effective and safe as possible was discussed during an advanced program organized by JustGroup in partnership with the Norwegian Centre for Human Rights. We thank our partners for their active involvement and support in conducting such important programs for Ukrainian practitioners🤝 Over the three-day course, the team of experts and the participants learned as colleagues — sharing experiences and interacting as equals. The program included discussions, practical exercises, scenario-based training, group work, and theoretical aspects. The topics covered during the program included: 🔹 understanding and recognizing vulnerability in the interview process 🔹 establishing psychological contact with vulnerable people and communication strategies 🔹 handling difficult situations during the interview Traditionally, at the end of each day, we asked participants to give feedback anonymously. We share some of their insights with you: 🔸 It is necessary to create a safe environment during the interview, and it is worth starting with support 🔸 it is important to give proper time to build and/or restore communication and be prepared for the interview to take place in several stages 🔸 trauma is not always visible — you should be able to identify it According to the feedback, the program exceeded all our expectations, which makes us happy. We do not plan to stop there, so we are considering developing a national program. But we will talk about it in the new year!