State Commitments to International Organizations : The European Court of Human Rights as a Test Case of Legalization Theory

This paper assesses government compliance to European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) decisions and the fulfillment of ECHR member-state criminal justice obligations. Judgments of the ECHR can involve either a monetary award given by the state to the claimant, individual measures or general measures. Monetary award judgments cover pecuniary damage and expenses. Individual measures are judgments by the ECHR which are considered necessary to prevent the further erosion of the claimant's rights. Finally, the ECHR may impose general measures which require a state to enact criminal justice reforms to prevent future violations. We examine under what circumstances governements comply with ECHR decisions