First International Roundtable on Restorative Justice in Bogotá, Colombia

Funded by the European Union, the Regional Project Strengthening Restorative Justice, led by Magistrate Rafael Segura Bonilla of the Criminal Cassation Chamber and Coordinator of the Restorative Justice Programme and implemented in conjunction with the Judicial Branches of Colombia and the State of Mexico, with the support of the ADELANTE Technical Assistance, teams up with the Higher Council of the Judiciary of the Judicial Branch and the Rodrigo Lara Bonilla School for the judiciary, both in Colombia, and held the First International Roundtable on Restorative Justice in Bogotá, Colombia. 

This meeting was held on 7 and 8 October 2019, with the participation of judiciary staff from different judicial districts of Colombia, as well as the delegations of the Judicial Branch of Costa Rica and the State of Mexico. The latter, with their extensive experience in restorative justice, participated as speakers alongside Colombian people who have been working on the issue from their labor and academic fields, including people who have been consultants for this project in that country.

The training activities ended on 9 October, with a space for reflection on Colombia's Restorative Justice Protocol, which is another product of this triangular cooperation project.

The Costa Rican Delegation was composed of Mr. Geiner Mora Calderón, Judge of the Flagrancia de Pococí Court, and Mrs. Elizabeth Esquivel Sánchez of the Public Ministry, Mrs Elisa Blanco Morice of the Public Defense, Mrs  Nenia Gutiérrez Espinoza and Mrs Fressia Hernández Aguirre of the Department of Social Work and Psychology, and Mrs Jovanna Calderón Altamirano, Executor of the project from the National Directorate of Restorative Justice. The latter two participated in the discussion as speakers to talk about the experience in Costa Rica, on the Drug Treatment Programme under Judicial Supervision and in the evolution of Restorative Justice in the Judicial Branch, respectively. 

The relevance of the event was reflected in the international exchange of good practices and restorative procedures, as well as in the contributions related to the improvement of the protocol and the promotion of a draft Law on Restorative Justice for Colombia.