Improved Administration of Justice Project, Panama
USAID/Panama
2001- 2004

MSD has been instrumental in promoting alternative dispute resolution (ADR) methods in Panamanian civil courts, developing training programs for prosecutors, public defenders, and judges, reducing pretrial detention and redesigning the judicial registry under a $1.6 million USAID-funded program in Panama.  MSD activities include assessing, designing, and implementing pilot projects in ADR, pretrial detention, and the public defender's office.   MSD tailors training programs to judges, prosecutors, public defenders, judicial police, and police with a training of trainers component.  Among MSD’s accomplishments has been the redesign of the Judicial Registry to include built-in performance indicators to enhance monitoring and evaluation.  MSD, supported by its partner PlanITech, Inc., successfully compiled information from the Registry and created a website that enables the public to access judicial laws and records.  Future plans call for linking the judicial registry with other activities undertaken by the courts.