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In
December 1999, the Honduran government passed
a new and much improved criminal procedures code,
and officials of both the court and the Attorney
General’s Office received training, technical
assistance and operational support to make the
transition to the new code, which debuted in February
2002. Trials are moving from an antiquated written,
accusatorial format to the oral advocacy format,
and all prosecutors nationwide received intensive,
practical training in oral advocacy skills through
a long-term advisor provided under a United States
Department of Justice/USAID inter-agency agreement.
By the time the new code went into effect nearly
100 law students and law school professors had
participated in USAID-sponsored tours to the United
States and Puerto Rico to observe the U.S. justice
system first-hand.
The
deep-seated nature of these reforms is unprecedented
in Honduras and their proper implementation promises
to greatly increase the public’s belief in democratic
government.
In
addition, administrative reforms have had a positive
impact in pilot courts and the current Supreme
Court was appointed using a new, depoliticized
selection process that required passage of a Constitutional
amendment. The amendment delinked the selection
of Supreme Court magistrates from the 4-year election
cycle and created an independent nominating body,
thus decreasing partisanship and stimulating greater
judicial independence.
With
USAID assistance, the Judiciary has made important
progress in improving institutional effectiveness.
The Quantitative Survey of Criminal Justice in
Honduras conducted workload assessments at 45
trial courts and seven appellate courts nationwide,
providing a solid baseline for indicators on access
to justice, case resolution timeframes and overall
judicial performance. Transparency of the justice
system has also increased through the implementation
of a Citizen Information Center to allow individuals
access to information on the status of criminal
cases.
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