Project profile — Building Effective Justice Systems



Overview 

CA-3-A034016001
$4,669,980
Justice Education Society of British Columbia (CA-CRA_ACR-0010010767)
2009-03-30 - 2013-12-31
Closed
Global Affairs Canada
YFMInternaAssistPartnershp&Programing Br

Country / region 

• Guatemala (22.00%)
• Honduras (22.00%)
• Ethiopia (34.00%)
• El Salvador (22.00%)

Sector 

• Government And Civil Society, General: Legal and judicial development (15130) (100.00%)

Policy marker 

• Participatory development and good governance (principal objective)

Description 

This project aims to improve criminal justice systems in select countries in Central America and in Ethiopia, in order to better enforce criminal laws and reduce impunity. It addresses the need for justice systems to respond to spiralling crime rates in Central America and the rampant domestic violence in Ethiopia. By developing and implementing sustainable program training frameworks and better coordination amongst key justice system stakeholders, the project establishes the use of international standard practices in order to increase the number of criminal cases proceeding from investigation to trial. Using a train-the-trainer methodology, the project aims to institutionalize training programs into the national training infrastructures.

Expected results 

N/A

Results achieved 

Results achieved as of June 2013 include: 2,397 people (35% women), including judges, police officers, prosecutors, technicians, investigators and forensic doctors, were trained in Crime Scene Examination, Major Case Management Investigation, and Oral Trials Techniques Trainings, exceeding the target of 2,300. Of these people, 920 (26% women) were from Guatemala; 615 (34% women) were from El Salvador; 627 (48% women) were from Honduras and 235 (31% women) were from Ethiopia, and 230 of them were trained as trainers. The participation rate of women in training activities rose from 28% in 2011-2012 to 35% in 2012-2013. These results contributed to strengthening the criminal justice systems in all target countries. The project has also contributed to developing Central American initiatives to increase cooperation, training, and motivation for justice reform. Government officials in each country reported that (i) police and prosecutors are better able to coordinate at crime scenes; (ii) more evidence is being produced at trials, which better corroborates witness testimony; (iii) police and prosecutors are taking the initiative to monitor results together and; (iv) police and prosecutors demonstrated greater public confidence in the criminal justice system. In Ethiopia, a lawyer and gender educator reported that “the JES training helps Ethiopian police officers to better understand the suffering faced by victims of violence, and for the first time, they are learning how to address the level of threat”. In Guatemala, police from British Columbia shared modern crime scene investigation approaches, which led to an increase in the homicide cases being resolved, from 5% in 2009 to 28% in 2013. In El Salvador, the implementation of the Crime Scene Examination course increased arrests and convictions. In Honduras, locals have been trained to train others in Major Case Management Investigation.

Budget and spending 


Original budget $0
Planned disbursement $0
Transactions
Transaction Date Type Value
30-05-2013 Disbursement $262,196
18-09-2013 Disbursement $359,017
15-01-2014 Disbursement $99,335
Country percentages by sector
Type of finance Aid grant excluding debt reorganisation
Collaboration type Bilateral
Type of aid Donor country personnel
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