ABA ROLI Presents Writing Manual to Help Peruvian Prosecutors

The American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative’s (ABA ROLI) Program to Support Criminal Justice in Peru was tasked by the Peruvian Attorney General’s Office with drafting a manual for prosecutors to assist them with their writing skills. The Manual on Writing for Prosecutors, developed by ABA ROLI in coordination with the Technical Secretariat for the Implementation of the New Criminal Procedure Code of Justice and Human Rights Ministry, is an essential part of ensuring that the Peruvian justice sector is prepared to work under the new Criminal Procedure Code (CPC), a law passed in 2004  marking the beginning of a transition from the former mixed-inquisitorial criminal procedure model to a new oral, accusatorial (adversarial) system.

On July 22, ABA ROLI’s Program presented nearly 5,000 copies of the Manualto the Public Ministry. The Manual outlines editorial guidelines applicable to documents produced by prosecutors in the preliminary, preparatory and intermediate research and investigation stages of a case. It consolidates best practices under the new system and will serve as a useful tool for prosecutors as they embark on their daily work under the new CPC.

Since 2012, and with the support of INL, ABA ROLI has supported the justice sector in Peru in its transition, which seeks to improve the transparency, efficiency and effectiveness of Peru’s criminal justice system. To date, ABA ROLI has trained 4,338 judges, prosecutors, state attorneys, public defenders, police officers, law professors and law students to operate effectively under the new CPC. In addition to providing training and technical assistance to a broad spectrum of justice sector operators, ABA ROLI has also conducted public awareness campaigns, including developing radio and television programs informing the general public about the important changes taking place in their criminal justice system.

Download the Spanish-language manual here.

To learn more about our work in Peru, please contact the ABA Rule of Law Initiative at [email protected].