Justice Sector Strengthening Activity Annual Report (October 1, 2018 – September 30, 2019)

The project focused on strengthening the criminal justice system, boosting judicial transparency, and forging inter-institutional links. Efforts were concentrated on a place-based justice strategy targeting six priority municipalities: San Salvador, San Vicente, San Miguel, Sonsonate, Zacatecoluca, and Cojutepeque. The JSSA supported the Interinstitutional Coordination Committee (CCI) and its local working groups to strengthen collaboration between justice sector institutions in PBJ municipalities. Regular meetings with the local working groups were held, and a year-end conference was organized to review advances and discuss challenges. Crime scene kits were provided to the working groups, and training courses were conducted on investigation techniques, gender-based violence, ballistic analysis, and crime scene processing with a gender perspective. A Virtual Interinstitutional Tutor Training Program was also supported, and virtual training platforms were developed in justice sector institutions, including a new website for the Forensic Medicine Institute. Evidence handling manuals and guides developed by the JSSA were approved in the Attorney General's Office and submitted to the National Civilian Police for approval. The National Civilian Police also approved a JSSA-developed Investigations Manual. The project's focus on attention to victims involved the implementation of comprehensive, inter-institutional models. Proposals for the implementation of new models in San Vicente and San Miguel were approved by USAID, and these models were implemented through a series of activities involving the development of routes for attention to victims, implementation of a training plan for civil society organizations, and specialized trainings for members of the victims' assistance working groups. Formal memoranda of understanding for interinstitutional coordination will be signed next quarter in San Vicente, San Miguel, Zacatecoluca, and Sonsonate. In support of existing victims assistance centers in justice sector institutions, the project carried out a training program on topics related to victimology and psychological attention, and a separate series of courses with a legal focus. The JSSA also held a 12-day specialized training course on investigation of gender-based violence in coordination with the Organization of Salvadoran Women for Peace (ORMUSA), installed a new Gesell Chamber in Zacatecoluca, and strengthened one in San Salvador. A public awareness campaign was begun in San Vicente and San Miguel to promote the rights of women and children.