Define the baseline
Choose the reference year, programmes included and treatment of exceptional spending.
Measure 4.01 · investment
Legal File 4.01: Doubling Justice Resources Over Five Years
Turning a doubling objective into applicable law requires a clear baseline, yearly appropriations, staffing, investment and measurable results.
Plan proposal
Measure 4.01 proposes doubling justice resources over five years. It is classified as investment, not savings. The primary vehicle is a programming act supported by annual finance acts.
Why is a doubling promise insufficient?
“Resources” may include staff, court buildings, operations, legal aid, prisons, youth justice, digital systems or training. Without a precise perimeter, very different trajectories may all be described as a doubling.
Separate nominal and real effort
Inflation may absorb part of a nominal increase.
Avoid double counting
A redeployment cannot be counted both as a saving and as new spending.
Link money to results
Funding should be connected to delays, staffed positions, capacity and quality indicators.
Recommended legal architecture
Minimum content
| Block | Minimum content |
|---|---|
| Purpose | Reduce delays, improve access, decision quality and enforcement. |
| Financial perimeter | Budget programmes, reference year, calculation method and inflation. |
| Annual trajectory | Appropriations, staffing and investment for each year. |
| Human resources | Judges, prosecutors, clerks, assistants, prison staff and training. |
| Indicators | Median delays, backlogs, vacancies, enforcement and appeals. |
| Oversight | Annual report, external audit and parliamentary review. |
Illustrative index
The downloadable template uses a baseline index of 100. A full doubling ends at index 200. It is an explanatory device, not a budget figure.
Final index = 2 × baseline index
Downloads
Status: structured civic prototype requiring review by the Ministry of Justice, budget authorities, courts and training schools.