Justice Sector Strengthening Activity Quarterly Report (April 1 – June 30, 2016)

Close collaboration and ongoing dialogue with various Government of El Salvador counterparts, including the Executive Technical Unit of the Justice Sector Coordinating Commission, National Civilian Police, Supreme Court, Public Defender's Office, Attorney General's Office, Forensic Medicine Institute, and National Judicial Council, as well as civil society organizations and other counterparts, contributed to these advancements. In Component 1: Criminal Justice Reform, the JSSA supported the development of an annotated Criminal Procedures Code, with 90% of the articles drafted as of the end of the reporting period. The JSSA also monitored the implementation of the Criminal Procedure Code in its first five years, presenting the 2013 and 2014 monitoring reports to the Justice Sector Coordination Commission and analyzing them to develop new inter-institutional strategies to improve judicial processes and attention to users. In Component 2: Judicial Transparency, the JSSA provided technical assistance to the Attorney General's Office in updating the criminal prosecution policy to establish unified intervention criteria for investigation of cases. The policy is undergoing revision and validation, and will be presented to the Attorney General for approval next quarter. The JSSA also supported the Analysis Unit through an assessment to develop recommendations for strengthening activities, as well as a donation of SPSS statistical software to strengthen the institution's ability to extract and analyze case data. In Component 3: Citizen Participation, Host Country Ownership, and Windows of Opportunity, the JSSA advanced a range of activities with local civil society organizations, the Forensic Medicine Institute, and other justice sector institutions to strengthen attention to victims of sexual, gender-based, and domestic violence. The JSSA continued preparations for the twelfth and thirteenth Specialized Institutional Units for Attention to Women in Situations of Violence (UNIMUJERs) that will open in Soyapango and San Marcos next quarter. The JSSA also continued to support the National Civilian Police in the 16 municipalities where the Community Policing Model has been implemented, including trainings for 1,077 police officers, recreational sporting events for 3,755 children and youths, civil society meetings for 1,950 people, and social events for 12,375 people. Eight new municipalities were selected for implementation of the Community Policing Model: Cojutepeque, Zacatecoluca, Colon, Soyapango, Sonsonate, Santa Ana, Mejicanos, and San Salvador (Historic District). In addition, the JSSA supported the National Civilian Police in developing a coordination protocol with the Attorney General's Office to outline each institution's commitment to collaboration on key aspects of investigations. The JSSA also provided technical assistance to implement an electronic notification system and case management system in the Criminal Chamber of the Supreme Court, and inaugurated Users Attention Centers in San Francisco Gotera and Ahuachapán. The JSSA continued to support the National Civilian Police in the implementation of the Community Policing Model in all ten municipalities identified as phase I in the Plan El Salvador Seguro. Project efforts to fight corruption and increase transparency include support to the Supreme Court's Probity Unit, which held a workshop to review investigation criteria for jurisprudence, including a review of procedures for selection of personnel who evaluate patrimony declarations.