Promoting Justice Project (PROJUST)

We worked directly with judges, police officers, public defense attorneys, prosecutors, pretrial services operators, and representatives from civil society organizations, the private sector, and academia to shift ways of working, spark innovation, and achieve measurable results. We witnessed unprecedented and often unimaginable levels of collaboration, innovation, and execution. The 100-Day Challenges implemented with Projust mainly focused on increasing case resolution rates, and in many cases, the type and quality of results had never been seen before. Systems started working together as systems for the very first time. Judges understood why police officers couldn't comply with their written requirements. Police officers began to grasp the intricate legal differences in arresting a presumed perpetrator within the boundaries of the law and while observing human rights. 

What began as a small-scale pilot to deliver three 100-Day Challenges in three cities grew into a multi-year collaboration with USAID's flagship criminal justice program in Latin America, implemented by MSI Tetra Tech. During the first two rounds of 100-Day Challenges, and with Projust's technical expertise, teams made up of frontline personnel including judges, police officers, public defense lawyers, prosecutors, pretrial services operators, and representatives from civil society organizations, the private sector, and academia worked together to resolve a variety of criminal cases including business robbery, domestic violence, and car theft. Several of the jump-start cities from the first round of Challenges also participated in the second round to deepen and widen results through further Challenges.

Inspired by the success of the first two rounds, in 2019, 18 teams from five states launched more sophisticated and complex 100-Day Challenges to improve crime resolution rates but also the quality of justice, particularly for victims of domestic violence. For the first time in Latin America, a state-wide Challenge was launched in Coahuila, with the participation of five cities. Three new cities also joined the movement: Hermosillo, Sonora; Tepic, Nayarit; and Tula, Hidalgo. 

During this third round, 15 of the 18 teams focused on decreasing gender-based violence, specifically in domestic violence cases. Teams employed new protocols and processes to begin identifying high-risk victims and improved the supervision of defendants under precautionary measures. See more about our Gender/Justice work in Mexico and other countries here. The COVID-19 pandemic hit during the implementation of this round of Challenges. RE!NSTITUTE worked tirelessly with our Projust partners to support frontline teams virtually and continue to achieve results despite the uncertainty and fear surrounding the pandemic. RE!NSTITUTE grasped the opportunity to virtualize our methodology and support positive change no matter the circumstances. Our efforts helped some systems respond more effectively to the pandemic's consequences, such as public offices closing down, by supporting teams to find new ways to do their work, from digital sessions to support victims to virtual trials.

As impressive as these results were, they only tell part of the story. The increase in resolved cases represents a step forward for local criminal justice systems in their journey towards lowering impunity, increasing peace and security in their communities, and delivering justice for victims. Equally as important is the shift towards working together as a system. Openness to trying new ways of working, direct communication, and moving away from needless bureaucracy and past institutional and personal egos. 

 "For the first time, we were all sitting around the same table and working on this problem together, rather than blaming each other."  – Joel Chaidez, Public Defender, Tijuana.

Another enduring value lies in the relationships that formed during the 100-Day Challenges. A diverse group of team members collaborated in new ways and forged bonds that will have a lasting impact on the agility, resilience, and overall approach to their work - well beyond the initial 100 days.

A number of innovations were developed involving public-private partnerships, as well as new ways of using technology that ensure the sustainability of the work and the overall improvement of underlying systems and processes. To strengthen sustainability, we launched a Leadership Journey during the second round - for system leaders to learn new and more effective ways to work with their teams to ensure continuous improvement and strengthen the focus on results.

The results achieved by all 40 teams showed what remarkable improvements can be made to the justice system when front-line staff are empowered and given the freedom to innovate, collaborate, and execute in new ways.

* Banner Photo: A judge in Chihuahua, part of the front-line team tackling business robberies, facilitates discussion on the team's work plan at the Mid-Point Review session held in the city of Chihuahua in October 2017. 

• USAID's Promoting Justice Project (Projust), implemented by MSI Tetratech