Justice Studies on a Grand Scale.

• Author: Conaway, Janelle
• Position: Santiago, Chile's Justice Studies Center of the Americas - Brief Article

A NEW JUSTICE Studies Center of the Americas will further judicial reform around the Hemisphere by promoting information exchange, providing technical support, and training judiciary personnel. The intergovernmental center, which will be based in Santiago, Chile, initially will focus on topics related to criminal justice.

The center will be called on to "contribute in a fundamental way to the modernization and enhancement of our countries' justice systems, an area that is critical to the aspiration to live in peace, democracy, and development," said Peru's Ambassador to the OAS, Beatriz Ramacciotti. She headed a special group that drafted statutes for the center.

The United States has pledged a grant of $1 million to help launch the initiative. Ronald Godard, U.S. Alternate Representative to the OAS, urged other countries to provide further financial support for the project, which he said will help make the region's court systems fairer and more...