Chapter 6 Internal reporting systems and information management Case reporting is the way in which information and analysis is provided by monitors following their observation of individual hearings or cases. An effective case reporting system must address the content and organization of case reports so that reporting consistently provides information and analysis in line with the focus of the programme. Information management is a broader concern that involves how a programme maintains and uses this and other information and analysis to meet its objectives, including the publication of reports. The challenge of information management is to organize the entirety of an internal reporting system to enable the regular collection, compilation, and synthesis of information to meet the programme’s goals. The first part of this chapter is structured to help the organizer create an effective case reporting system to meet the needs of a particular programme. Topics covered include: an overview of the challenges of legal reporting; the basic components of a case report; types of case reporting systems; and other issues related to simplifying and systematizing case reporting. The second part of this chapter addresses information management and provides methods by which a programme can manage information through secondary reporting and other management systems, including computer databases. Since the demands of information management increase with the size and scope of the programme, this chapter is especially important for large-scale monitoring operations. However, programmes of all sizes will also benefit from incorporating these general principles and strategies. 6.1 Accuracy, consistency, and compilation As a programme’s primary source of information, case reports require a high level of factual accuracy and clear legal analysis in all trial-monitoring programmes. For largescale programmes such as those organized by the OSCE that seek to make systemic conclusions about the functioning of the criminal justice system through monitoring hundreds of cases, reporting involves additional challenges. Such programmes may be required to analyse and synthesize reports related to hundreds of different cases that involve unique procedural histories, wide-ranging issues and analysis, and that develop progressively over time. Further, all programmes, large and small, must compile and synthesize reports drafted by individuals of differing legal skills, experience, and perspectives. As a result of these challenges, all programmes should develop a standard reporting format to manage internal reporting. In developing a reporting format and Trial-Monitoring: A Reference Manual for Practitioners 67