•
Why does CJSART measure areas that aren’t part of the country’s
USG assistance program? Building on lessons learned from decades of
justice sector assistance efforts, CJSART looks at the entire sector as an
interrelated, integrated and, hopefully, coordinated whole – a holistic
paradigm. CJSART establishes country-wide benchmarks as well as
highlighting segments that are fertile for assistance – segments that may
yet be beyond the current assistance program. The focus is on keeping a
constant, holistic monitor on the integrated criminal justice sector so
that deficiencies in one sector area do unexpectedly compromise USG
assistance in another.
•
What do you mean by “holistic”? CJSART is made up of interrelated,
but separate justice sector disciplines: the laws, the judicial institutions,
as well as the police, prisons and border security officials, are
components of a whole. A holistic assessment considers the capacity of
the entire criminal justice system rather than narrowly focusing only on
prosecutors or police, etc. There are myriad factors which have an
impact across the system and CJSART’s holistic methodology invites the
experts to concentrate on their individual areas of expertise, while
pursuing cross-cutting influences.
•
Wouldn’t it be better to spend money on programs not assessments?
We are operating in an increasingly results driven environment. In order
to achieve meaningful results, policy makers need to know what would
be the most effective use of funds. Demonstrating those results requires
a certain investment. The dollar cost of a CJSART assessment is
comparatively nominal and should pay for itself in helping to set
assistance priorities and in providing policy makers with a standardized
yardstick they can use with confidence. CJSART is like the instruments
in a car: giving practitioners a solid idea where they are going and how
well the machinery is working, and as accumulative data is assessed,
how fast one is moving towards program objectives. CJSART’s
quantitative data and interview summaries also assist policy makers see
where resources are getting slim, or where a program goal may need to
be refined. CJSART is a yardstick designed to increase efficiency, to
better focus finite foreign assistance resources and to help ensure that
our assistance efforts are cost-effective and transparent.
•
Who should I contact if I have questions regarding this assessment
program? Feel free to call or email the Department of State, INL/RM.
James A. Walsh, 202-776-8505, [email protected]
Lawrence F. Bird, 202-776-8558, [email protected]
Keira A. Goldstein, 202-776-8769, [email protected]
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