Rehabilitation for the justice and police sectors in the Central African Republic

Contribute to the consolidation of the rule of law and good governance in CAR through the extension of the Government’s commitments as detailed in its Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper.

Specific aims:

1. Strengthen the justice service
2. Strengthen the prison service
3. Professionalise the police force

Strengthen the justice service:

1. The post of a sentence enforcement judge has been created to strengthen the prison sector. Work to rewrite legislation on sentence enforcement has been undertaken in collaboration with a Central African magistrate.
2. Auditing of judicial services has been improved through the creation and distribution of reference guides, and the training of 20 judicial inspectors and general and chief prosecutors.
3. The building housing the Bangui regional high court (TGI – Tribunal de Grande Instance) has been entirely rebuilt and extended.
4. The Chancellery has also been refurbished and refitted.
5. A Sentence Enforcement Service has been set up by the Bangui TGI.
6. The National School for Administration and Magistracy (ENAM – Ecole Nationale Administration et de Magistrature) has benefited from significant support in the form of a grant and the subsequent establishment of a Judicial Training Institute which will ensure the quality of continued training for legal professionals.
7. Training has been delivered in the following judicial areas

• Preparation of civil cases (70 people trained)
• Professional practices for court clerks (30 people trained)
• Advocacy techniques (44 people trained)
• Management of jurisdictions (19 people trained)

Strengthen the prison service:

1. Following the Ministry of Justice’s review and mapping of the prison system in August 2013, the RESEJEP-RCA programme contributed significantly to the renovation of Ngaragba short-stay prison in Bangui. An additional agreement has been signed which will extend and further strengthen this activity by renovating the short-stay prisons in Bouar, Bimbo, Bossembélé and Berbérati.
2. Basic professional training and continued professional training plans for prison staff have been drawn up and submitted to the Ministry of Justice for implementation.

Professionalise the police force:

1. An integrated human resources management network (servers and computers, wiring, electrical equipment, etc.) has been set up and staff have been trained to use it.
2. Police material and equipment has also been made available to the different law enforcement units.
3. 1450 police officers and gendarmes have been trained in the following:

• Arrest technique and self-defence
• Duties of road traffic officers
• Conflict resolution, palavers and negotiations
• Human Rights
• First aid

3. Training of 14 trainers which has improved the beneficiaries’ knowledge.  
4. A review of legislation and the creation of an NSF Inspection Guide for the Ministry of the Interior, Public Security and Territorial Administration’s (MISPAT – Ministère de l’intérieur, de la Sécurité Publique et l’Administration Territoriale) internal oversight unit have strengthened the Ministry’s operations.