ABA Rule of Law Initiative to Hold Trainings in Four Cities Throughout Ecuador

06.11.2007

In May 2007, the ABA Rule of Law Initiative’s Criminal Justice Reform Project in Ecuador held nationwide conferences in cities throughout the country to provide a basic orientation in managing criminal cases in an accusatorial system.  

The conferences were held in Cuenca, Quito, Guayaquil, and Riobamaba and included 400 prosecutors, 136 judges, and 1500 police officers.  While Ecuador has reformed its criminal justice system for several years, there is a basic lack of understanding of how the prosecutors, judges, and police need to work together in an accusatorial system.

The conferences provided basic information on oral justice systems and an explanation on how to process criminal cases successfully.  The conferences included both foreign experts who discussed oral, accusatorial systems and Ecuadorian experts who discussed local laws.  This was the first conference on criminal justice reform which included the entire nation.

Visit the project’s Spanish-language website at www.justiciapenalecuador.org.