Quarterly Progress Report: July 1 – September 30, 2019

In the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2019, PROJUST continued to implement activities focused on maintaining productive working relationships with key justice institutions and laying the groundwork for upcoming initiatives through political dialogue. PROJUST's efforts in Q4 were marked by a dramatic downsizing of project staff and coverage, necessitated by the significantly smaller project scope and budget for the extension period. Despite this, the project successfully carried out 18 activities across six Mexican states, as well as national level activities. These activities included direct technical assistance to target Attorneys General (AG) Offices in four states, the development of strategic criminal prosecution policies in three key states, and the facilitation of policy dialogue at the state and national level. One of the key initiatives implemented by PROJUST in Q4 was the expansion of its Three-Level Case Prioritization Model, commonly known as Tres Pisos, to two new cities. The model was launched in the AG Office of Monclova, Coahuila, in mid-August, and groundwork was laid in Tepic, Nayarit, in preparation for its launch next quarter. The model aims to improve case management and increase case resolutions by prioritizing cases based on their complexity and severity. In addition to the expansion of Tres Pisos, PROJUST also facilitated a study tour for representatives of the AG Office in Tepic to observe the operation of the model in the AG Office of Zacatecas. This activity allowed both leadership and unit operators from Tepic to see how the model should be implemented and to learn from the experiences of the Zacatecas team. PROJUST also provided direct technical assistance to Specialized Homicide Units in Coahuila and Nayarit to improve strategic prosecution, as well as to the Crime Analysis Units of Coahuila, Nayarit, and Zacatecas, with an emphasis on coordination between units to identify criminal patterns across homicide investigations. Overall, PROJUST's efforts in Q4 were focused on maintaining productive working relationships with key justice institutions and laying the groundwork for upcoming initiatives through political dialogue. The project's activities aimed to build on the momentum generated under PROJUST's successful 100-Day Challenges to reduce impunity in key crimes. The project's geographic coverage in Q4 included six Mexican states, as well as national level activities. The activities implemented by PROJUST in Q4 were focused on the project's four strategic objectives, which are: 1. Strengthening Target Attorneys General Offices 2. Sustainability of Local Systems Initiatives 3. Criminal Prosecution Policies 4. Sustainability of Institutional Monitoring and Evaluation PROJUST's efforts in Q4 were marked by a unique implementing context, with the project transitioning from full closeout to a three-month no-cost extension, and finally to a cost extension that lengthened the project one year beyond its original closeout date to July 15, 2020. Despite this, the project was able to maintain its focus on implementing activities that aligned with its strategic objectives and that would have a positive impact on the justice system in Mexico.