News
Panama Podcast: The Culture of Lawfulness Program
In seeking to promote a culture of lawfulness, the program works to encourage respect for the rule of law and for fundamental human rights both by the government and by society as a whole. More specifically, the program works to bolster the culture of lawfulness among police and other law enforcement agencies, to increase Panamanian citizens’ confidence in their justice sector. Read more »»
ABA ROLI Commences Its Culture of Lawfulness Program in Panama
As Panama takes its initial steps toward implementation of an accusatorial criminal justice system, it confronts a series of challenges. Citizen distrust of justice sector institutions is one challenge. According to a 2006 Inter-American Development Bank survey, 46% of Panamanians believe that the justice system fails to punish criminals. Read more »
ABA ROLI Launches a Program in Panama
The ABA Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI) has initiated a comprehensive review and reform of the Panamanian police curriculum and training methods. ABA ROLI’s efforts will promote a rule of law culture among the police. Recent developments, such as the transfer of investigative powers to the newly-formed Judicial Investigation Bureau and the establishment of new criminal and criminal procedure codes, necessitate the revision of police training curricula. Read more »
Meet our Staff
Captain Mariana Alarcón (ret.) joined ABA ROLI in 2007 to coordinate activities with the Judicial Police in Ecuador, with a particular emphasis on the training and preparation of investigative agents. Throughout her career, she has focused on issues related to human trafficking and the “disappeared.” In Chile, she started a case management system for the “disappeared” at the local, national and international level. She became the head of the missing persons section, where she worked in a multi-disciplinary group of professionals combating human trafficking and led analysis. In addition, she was invited to Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, to aid police in kidnapping and victim assistance matters.
Captain Alarcón previously worked as the administrative sub-commissioner in the 14th San Bernardo Station in Santiago, Chile, where she created initiatives for the organization of police services, overseeing the investigation of improper conduct and poor performance.
In 1996, Captain Alarcón graduated as an official of public order and security from the General Carlos Ibáñes del Campo Police School in Chile, where she later specialized in criminology.
Background
Panamanian confidence in security institutions has declined dramatically in recent years. In response to this decline, the administration of President Martín Torrijos has undertaken a series of reforms that aim to improve security and to enhance the credibility of the country’s justice institutions. The reforms include new criminal and criminal procedure codes, and a restructuring of the police force to include a Judicial Investigation Bureau. Among other changes, the criminal procedure code establishes an accusatorial criminal justice system mandated for full implementation by 2012.
Despite these reforms, challenges remain. Limited cooperation between the Judicial Investigation Bureau and the National Police constrains efficiency. Both novice and veteran justice operators need to be trained in the functions of the accusatorial system. Therefore, training of judges, lawyers, prosecutors and police will be critical to the success of these reforms.
The ABA Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI) Latin America and Caribbean Division will work with the National Police to revise and update their training curriculum based on the recent reforms, and to further professionalize and certify police academy trainers.
