Strengthening Restorative Justice

Training on Restorative Misdemeanor Justice in Costa Rica

San José
,
Costa Rica
|
October 10, 2019
ADELANTE Programme: Triangular Cooperation European Union Latin America and the Caribbean

Delegations from the Judicial Power of Colombia, the State of Mexico and Costa Rica participated on 2 and 3 October 2019 in Costa Rica, with the financial support of the European Union, in a training session on Restorative Misdemeanor Justice, thus promoting the implementation of Costa Rica's Restorative Justice Law, which entered into force on 20 January 2019.

On the first day, a combination of recreational and academic activities were held to discuss the principles, values and concepts of Restorative Justice, the essential players in the restorative process and the teamwork methodology for providing quality service to users. On the second day, the participants discussed the restorative process in cases of misdemeanor offenses, the work of each of the officials involved and the Restorative Meeting.

According to Mr. Rafael Segura Bonilla, Magistrate of the Criminal Cassation Chamber and Coordinator of the Restorative Justice Programme of Costa Rica: "approaching the conflict from Restorative Justice in its early stage, when the violation to the protected legal good is less harmful, allows avoiding the shift to more serious crimes that generate more violence and citizen insecurity".

The Regional Project Strengthening Restorative Justice is led by Magistrate Rafael Segura Bonilla and it is implemented with the Judicial Power of Colombia and the State of Mexico, with support from the ADELANTE Technical Assistance, funded by the European Union.