Paper February 2025: The lawyer’s role in safeguarding suspects’ rights: A comparative study across Ukraine, Poland, and Lithuania in the era of technological and criminal justice reform

Introduction: This study looks at the important job of lawyers in shielding suspects’ rights during criminal cases, with a focus on Ukraine, Poland and Lithuania. The aim of the study is to analyze the lawyers’ role in protecting the suspects’ rights throughout the entire criminal procedure. Methods: By using interviews, watching courtrooms, and analyzing themes and numbers, the research finds big problems and shows a need for changes across different fields. Special attention is given to how technology like AI and online proof is changing things as well as the health issues of suspects before trial or during it. Results: Results show clear differences in legal actions across areas pointing out holes in support training and how resources are shared. Suggestions for policy include putting tech tools into use for better legal help? improving training to deal with health worries—and making uniform ways for working together between different areas. Conclusions: Further research should focus on evaluating the effectiveness of legal practices, analyzing technological changes, and taking an interdisciplinary approach to understanding the impact on suspects’ rights. This study contributes to the ongoing debate on criminal justice reform, providing actionable insights for improving legal practices and safeguarding human rights in a rapidly changing legal landscape.