Latin America and the Caribbean

Background

The ABA Rule of Law Initiative’s (ABA ROLI's) Latin American and Caribbean Division supports legal reform efforts in Ecuador, Panama, Mexico, Guatemala, Belize and Nicaragua, and has previously implemented programs in Costa Rica, Brazil, Paraguay and Peru. The Latin America and Caribbean Division has conducted a variety of programs, including documenting and combating human trafficking; advancing legal education and legal profession reforms; promoting mediation and alternative dispute resolution to improve access to justice; assisting in transitioning from inquisitorial to adversarial criminal justice systems and building justice sector capacity to combat transnational crime. We have also provided neutral advice and support to restructure laws in a number of substantive areas, including arbitration, commercial mediation, human trafficking and juvenile justice. We implement our programs through partnerships with local governments, bar associations, law schools and non-governmental organizations.

News and Program Highlights

Belizean Police Prosecutors Trained in Trial Skills and Rules of Evidence

In most countries, when a uniformed police officer enters a criminal courtroom he does so as a witness. But in the small Central American country of Belize, police corporals, sergeants and inspectors also serve as prosecutors. This is a practice that Belize inherited from the British and although the United Kingdom has long abandoned the method, police prosecutors remain an integral part of Belize’s criminal justice system. Read more »»

Guatemalan Prosecutors, Police Trained in Oral Trial Skills

In the midst of a bloody conflict that claimed the lives of more than 400,000 citizens and seriously jeopardized Guatemala’s democratic institutions, the nation became one of the first in Latin America to introduce comprehensive reforms to its Criminal Procedure Code and Criminal Code in 1992 and 1994, respectively. Read more »»

Trainings Promise to Enhance Legal Professionals’ Contributions in Ongoing Judicial Overhaul

In an effort to address public demands to overhaul a judicial system long viewed as soft on crime, corrupt and inefficient, earlier this year, Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa initiated a complex governmental reorganization process that includes restructuring the Judicial Council, an overarching body that oversees all judicial operators. Read more »»

Revamped Criminal Justice System Good News to Victims, Defendants and Courts

Fernando, a 24-year-old college student and resident of Veraguas Province in Panama, acted impulsively after a night of drinking. An unattended motorcycle caught his attention, and without thinking, he decided to take the vehicle for a weekend of fun. Fernando’s plan ended abruptly when police officers stopped him for a routine traffic violation the next day. Read more »»

Cross-Institutional Training Encourages Coordination Between Haiti’s Magistrate School and the National Police Academy

Nearly two years after the January 2010 earthquake that rocked Haiti and sparked a humanitarian crisis, the nation is struggling to maintain order and uphold the rule of law. Setbacks in rebuilding the country have hampered efforts to reform its promising but fragile judicial system. Read more »»

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