Accountable state security institutions are a cornerstone of good governance. Accountability can serve as an important check on the power of these institutions, which are uniquely tasked with enforcing the government’s will with force. It can also reaffirm the humanity of victims and survivors of harm, promote healing, and reduce the likelihood that harm will recur in the future. When governments fail to hold themselves or their security institutions accountable, or when external and internal sources of accountability fail, public trust begins to fray, cycles of harm continue, and democracies begin to fracture. In just the last few years, governments and societies across the world have been tested by a variety of stress factors, including but not limited to unaccountable and politicized security institutions and practices, which reflect a pervasive and under-recognized threat to democracy.