Programa para el Fortalecimiento de Instituciones de Justicia Penal Estatal en México (ConJusticia) Quarterly Progress Report FY 2021, Quarter 2

The activity seeks to strengthen institutional functions and build the capacity of prosecutors, judges, and other state-level actors to improve prosecution of high-priority crimes, reduce impunity, and increase accountability. In close coordination with consortium subcontractors, the activity works towards three objectives: 1) individual state justice institutions are stronger and more effective, particularly in prosecuting high-priority cases; 2) coordination and collaboration is improved between institutions and local actors across criminal justice systems; and 3) sustainable partnerships with diverse actors are built that contribute to co-responsibility in solving high-priority crimes and to improving citizens' confidence in the justice sector. The activity formally and publicly launched activities and policy dialogue in three of its eight target states: Sonora, Nayarit, and Coahuila. ConJusticia achieved high-level and broad-based support for these activities, evidenced by the participation of the Governors of both Sonora and Nayarit in public launch events alongside diverse stakeholders from not only the local justice sector, but also civil society, academia, and the private sector. The activity also helped set the agenda for strategic criminal prosecution nationwide, successfully positioning the program to play an impactful role in the construction of a consensus on this priority topic through a successful online webinar that reached over 300 participants, including nine Attorneys General from across Mexico. ConJusticia's target states include Chihuahua, Coahuila, Hidalgo, Nayarit, Nuevo León, San Luis Potosí, Sonora, and Zacatecas. The activity began activity implementation this quarter in three states (Sonora, Coahuila, and Nayarit) as part of a phased implementation approach for year 1 activities. ConJusticia also collaborates with two resource states, Guanajuato and Queretaro, whose best practices will inform the activities designed with peer institutions in target states. The COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact the justice sector in Mexico, with some institutions returning to full-capacity, in-person operations as Mexican state governments declare progress in the federal stoplight system. However, large backlogs in caseloads still present an urgent challenge for local justice systems whose normal operations were heavily modified and limited due to the pandemic. ConJusticia is developing tailored technical assistance for each target institution focused on improved case distribution, prioritization, and management. The program will also implement methodologies such as task forces and 100-Day Challenges to combat specific criminal phenomena and re-engineer inefficient processes within local justice systems. ConJusticia launched an applied Political Economy Analysis (PEA) with international and local expert consultants to analyze the factors that constrain and incentivize target states to effectively prosecute and resolve high-priority crimes, including the limitations and opportunities presented by 2021's election cycles. The upcoming gubernatorial elections on June 6, 2021 will include Chihuahua, Nayarit, Nuevo Leon, San Luis Potosi, Sonora, and Zacatecas. Initial findings indicate that in most target states, political will to reduce impunity and advance strategic prosecution initiatives supported by ConJusticia will continue. However, the program also expects to see a reduction in the availability of key leaders during the pre- and post-election period, which may extend through the administrative transition period until September or October 2021. The activity's Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) Plan is in progress following valuable feedback and changes requested by USAID to streamline custom performance indicators. Final approval is expected in the coming quarter, at which point the baseline assessment for initial values will be measured. In coordination with the Data Analysis Specialist, monitoring efforts this quarter focused on establishing contact, communication, and working relationships with statistics and/or monitoring and evaluation departments within target justice institutions in Sonora, Coahuila, and Nayarit. These efforts will result in an improved understanding of what data they currently manage and how it can be used to inform program activities and improve performance.