Background: HSI is a $20 million program approved in 2007 by the State Department and designed to integrate security and development and to strengthen government presence and local institutions in Cité Soleil. Kay Jistis (meaning “House of Justice and named by Cite Soleil Mayor, Wilson Louis) is the good governance and democracy component of HSI activities.

Activities: Kay Jistis is a, community-focused project designed to improve access to justice and reinforce local governance in Cite Soleil by strengthening the adjudication capacity of the Justice of the Peace Court; providing legal assistance to residents through a legal aid clinic; supporting community outreach activities to increase civil and legal rights education; providing training to community organizations to serve as liaisons between the community and the Justices of the Peace; and by training court personnel and community leaders in the use of alternative dispute resolution to resolve conflicts.

USAID Support: The project is being implemented under USAID’s current Judicial Strengthening Program, which is a $2 million follow-on contract to assist with justice sector reform in Haiti. Of this amount, $550,000 of HSI-designated funding is devoted exclusively for the Cite Soleil component that includes Kay Jistis.

Implementer: The National Center for State Court’s (NCSC)

Objectives: The Judicial Strengthening Program aims to strengthen the capacities of judicial actors and local institutions and improve their collaboration so that they can provide better justice services and serve as an independent and respected force. Kay Jistis aims to provide citizens in Cite Soleil with access to quality justice services, particularly at the Justice of the Peace level.

Partners: Local Haitian partners include Cité Soleil City Hall, the Port-au-Prince Bar Association, who operate the legal aid clinic; the Research Unit for Legal Medicine (Unite de Recherche Medico-Legal URAMEL), who provides assistance to victims of violence; and the Ombudsman Office (Office de Protecteur du Citoyen), who will operate a new citizen’s complaint office in Cite Soleil. Other international partners include MINUSTAH, who provides daily transportation to the members of the Bar Association; and the International Legal Assistance Consortium (ILAC), who provides technical assistance to the Bar Association.

Anticipated Results of Kay Jistis:

• Increase in number of cases prepared and investigated according to accepted standards.
• Increase in number of case filings that proceed to court.
• Public availability of information on court duties, and court procedures.
• Improvement in number and range of cases officially reported, including civil rights cases.
• Increase in number of civic activities organized by community groups and community leaders to share information about justice sector role and function, and absolute increase in number of participants and attendees.