Guatemala – Justice Program

Checchi provided technical assistance to the Public Ministry, the Judicial Branch, and the Public Defense Institute to support policy and institutional reforms ranging from the establishment of specialized crime units in prosecutors’ offices to the design and implementation of modern case tracking systems in the courts. To help increase access to justice, the Program assisted in establishing 17 regional Justice Centers, while creating mechanisms for inter-institutional coordination in the justice sector at the local level. The Program also conducted multilingual public education campaigns regarding mediation, domestic violence and access to justice. Finally, the Program helped create 16 Community Mediation Centers in order to encourage the recognition of indigenous law and the use of alternative dispute resolution mechanisms.