Project Summary:

Implementation of the Justice Sector Reform is one of the main pre-requisites for Moldova to advance the overall reform process and to achieve compliance with the internationally recognized democratic standards. At the same time, an efficient, transparent and reliable justice system is a precondition for the sustainable development. Started in 2011 as an initiative, meant to assist the Government of the Republic of Moldova to develop and operationalize the Justice Sector Reform Strategy (2011-2016), the Project has gradually shifted from policy formulation to practical implementation of targeted interventions, defined in reform documents, unified by the overall goal of achieving a more efficient, fair, accountable and transparent justice system for the benefit of men and women from Moldova.

Objectives:

The overall objective of the Project is to support the comprehensive justice sector reform in the Republic of Moldova in order to increase the independence, accountability, impartiality, efficiency and transparency of the justice system as a prerequisite for sustainable development.

Expected results:

• Improved capacities of law enforcement bodies to collect and manage criminal justice data;
• Strengthened individual and institutional capacities to prevent and combat torture and impunity in prison environment;
• Improved vocational training environment at Goian Prison to increase the chance of re-socialisation and employment of juvenile detainees after release;
• Policies on fees and taxation of legal services providers formulated and approved;
• Strengthened institutional capacities of the National Centre for Judicial Expertise;
• Strengthened professional training capacities of the National Institute of Justice. 

Accomplishments:

• e-Case system for the registration, record keeping and management of crime related data is operational and ready to be used; proper hardware environment for piloting the system in 6 prosecution offices ensured. The e-Case software solution automates the document management processes, allows an improved monitoring over the deadlines for the assigned tasks/cases, as well as decreases the time spent for generation of statistics by ensuring the direct connection between the input metadata and the output reports;
• 100 of prison staff members (89 men and 11 women) trained on torture and ill-treatment prevention standards in prison environment;
• Better conditions for vocational training and occupational therapy activities aiming at increasing the rate of successful reintegration of ex-detainees into society created at Goian Prison for Juveniles; 26 out of 40 inmates (65%) from Goian Prison for Juveniles participated in behaviour correction programmes in 2015; By using the newly renovated workshop rooms 32 boys were qualified as cobblers, cooks, auto fitters/mechanics, and hairdressers in 2015;
• Study on fees and taxation of justice related professions conducted and endorsed by the Ministry of Justice; enabling legislative package approved by the Parliament and entered into force in 2017;
• National Centre for Judicial Expertise is accredited in line with ISO/IEC 17025:2005 standard, providing compliance with standard’s requirements in four areas of forensic expertise: handwriting, road accident analysis, fingerprints and questioned document examination;
• Capacities of the National Centre for Judicial Expertise to perform chemical laboratory investigations and road accident analysis enhanced by providing laboratory equipment, specialized software and hardware;
• Court simulation/multipurpose rooms at the National Institute of Justice are renovated and equipped to increase training effectiveness and accessibility;
• Baseline assessment on the quality of judicial reasoning in Moldova conducted;
• The premises of the National Centre for Judicial Expertise redesigned to ensure improved investigation capabilities and operations of the institution.