About the Project
Justice, Reconciliation, Law and Order sector (JRLOS)
Rwanda’s IECMS is a unifying platform that connects all institutions belonging to the Justice, Reconciliation, Law and Order Sector.
The system automates judicial processes and provides each institution with a customized interface for performing its functions. It serves as the single point of entry for recording and securing case information and efficiently sharing information among sector institutions.
IECMS won 2016 African Innovative Management Award from the African Association for Public Administration Management (AAPAM), 2017 Top Ten Court Technology Solution Award from the National Association for Court Management & International Association for Court Administration, and the inaugural 2024 Commonwealth Access to Justice Innovation Award.
The Challenge
- Paper-based case records and static spreadsheets and workflows.
- Case delays caused by increasing backlogs, inefficient case management, and poor communication between justice sector agencies;
- Inability to monitor court caseloads and take a holistic, informed, and systematic approach to case management.
- Isolated systems in each institution, duplication of case information, tedious reporting, and inefficient use of government resources.
- Prison overcrowding, high recidivism rates, increased corruption opportunities, and loss of confidence in the justice system.
The Solution
- Launched in 2017, the IECMS serves over 40,000 users and is the single, shared platform used by all Justice Sector institutions – the Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB), the National Public Prosecution Authority (NPPA), The Judiciary, the Rwanda Correctional Services (RCS), the Civil Litigation Service (CLS), the Rwanda Bar Association (RBA), and the Professional Bailiffs Association (PBA).
- Digitalizes the entire case life cycle from filing to hearing, judgment, appeal, closure, and execution in civil and criminal matters.
- Standardizes case record storage and streamlines current processes.
- Manages consolidated information on the case data, ensures effective case processing, and enables data-informed decision-making.
- Data moves seamlessly from one justice sector institution to another, improving communication and reducing processing errors.
The Results
- Greater Access to Justice: 100% of cases are filed electronically, and a 26% increase in case filing rate.
- Faster Case Processing: from 7 months to 3.4 months.
- Reduced Case Backlog: from 42% to 23%.
- Reduced Session Adjournments: from 30% to 11%.
- Improved Ease of Doing Business: jumped 32 positions in the Enforcing Contracts indicator of the World Bank’s Doing Business Report.
- World Justice Project Rule of Law Index 2021: 1st in Sub-Saharan Africa and 42nd globally.
- 2021 National Citizen Report Card: 88% of Rwandans surveyed said they trust the justice system.