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ABA Rule of Law Initiative Latin America and Caribbean News

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 »»

ABA ROLI Helps Guatemalan Public Ministry Modernize Case-Processing Practices

As the country suffers from extremely high levels of organized crime, Guatemala’s Public Ministry is constantly seeking to modernize and improve its internal processes for greater efficiency in crime prosecution. To help build prosecutorial capacity, ABA ROLI—along with its subcontractor, NEOTEC—is assessing the ministry’s case-processing practices. Read more »»

ABA ROLI Releases Prosecutorial Reform Index

The ABA Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI) released the Prosecutorial Reform Index (PRI) for Belize on July 27. Among other things, the index identifies the challenges that undermine criminal prosecution’s effectiveness in combating crime, the seriousness of corruption in the country and the state of morale and professionalism among Belizean prosecutors. Read more »»

ABA ROLI, British High Commission Organize Anti-Money Laundering Training in Belize

From July 4–5, the ABA Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI) and the British High Commission in Belize cosponsored an anti-money laundering training for 42 judges, prosecutors and Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) staff. The workshop, which was held in Belize City, supports efforts to combat organized crime in the country. Read more »»

Juvenile Justice Reform Takes Center Stage in Nicaragua

In recent weeks, controversial reform suggestions to Nicaragua’s Juvenile Criminal Code have sparked widespread protests and marches throughout the country. Some sectors of society believe that reforms in response to rising violence should increase incarceration time for minors who commit violent crimes. Others recommend alternatives to incarceration, such as rehabilitation and reintegration. Read more »»

Study Tour Supports Legal Education and Legal Profession Reforms

Continuing its support of legal education and legal profession reforms in Mexico, the ABA Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI) brought a 24-member Mexican delegation on a June 27–July 1 study tour to observe the U.S. legal system. Read more »»