Criminal Justice Strenghtening Programme (CJSP)

[Last Updated : 29 April 2010]

About the CJSP: The Criminal Justice Strengthening Programme (CJSP), funded solely by United States Agency for International Development (USAID), is a strategic partnership alliance programme designed to support and strengthen capacities within the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development (DoJ and CD). The key role-players within the programme are the DoJ and CD, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Business Against Crime South Africa (BACSA).

 Extension of the CJSP:

The CJSP was extended by the partners until mid-2009. This project was completed mid-2009 and handed over to USAID.

The governance structure, chaired by Senior Executive Officers of the Justice Department, consists of the Programme Implementation Committee (PIC) and
the Programme Operational Committee (POC). Through the oversight of the two
committees, strategic and operational leadership is provided.

The CJSP’s core activities are project management, financial management and stakeholder liaison. The organisational efficiency of the beneficiary department is enhanced through training.

The CJSP Project Portfolio:

The CJSP portfolio of projects includes a focus on court services and support to Justice sector personnel.

A. Court Services

1. Case Flow Management (USA Study Tour)

A delegation of 14 DoJ and CD officials undertook a study tour, facilitated by the National Centre for State Courts (NCSC), to the USA. The 10-day study tour focused on managing case backlogs, court performance standards and norms, service standards and norms for courts, managing court information, training (i.e., curriculum development), governance structures and co-ordinating stakeholders. The CJSP supported this exchange initiative by funding the travel expenses of the 14 delegates. Plans are underway to document and implement the best practices learned during the tour.

2. Court Statistics Analysis

The CJSP, in conjunction with the DoJ and CD, engaged an international statistician to conduct an environmental scan and investigation of the collection, capturing, collation, analysing and distribution methods of court statistics. A comparative analysis of data collected by Court Services and the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) was also undertaken.

• The deliverables of this project were:
• An assessment report;
• An environmental scan report;
• Court data management guidelines;
• A draft information policy; and
• A comparative analysis of court statistics data.

A pilot project to implement the results was implemented at the Pretoria Magistrate Court in the period under review.

3. The Community Courts

In support of the former President’s directive to establish Community Courts, USAID has funded through the CJSP the following activities:

The procurement of a ramp for the Mankweng Community Court mobile structure in Limpopo to facilitate easy access for physically challenged individuals; and
The procurement of garden equipment for the ‘Adopt-a-spot’ diversion project, at the KwaMashu Community Court.

  Ms G Moshoeu, CJSP Project Manager, hands over
  gardening equipment to Mrs Shembe, the Chairperson
  of the KwaMashu Community Court Steering
  Committee, at the KwaMashu Community Court.

B. Support to Justice Sector Personnel

The CJSP has provided capacity-building support to the DoJ and the NPA. The training results to-date are as follows:

Project Activity	No. of Beneficiaries Trained
Training on Judicial Leadership and Management for Magistrates: Improved judicial leadership skills for the Magistrates, through peer training has been conducted by experienced fellow Regional Court Magistrates.	278 Magistrates
Judgment Writing for Magistrates Training on judgment writing and the presentation of cases for presiding officers of the Lower Courts. Judges from the High Courts, the Supreme Court of Appeal and the Constitutional Court have facilitated this training. The programme is being rolled-out to all provinces before the end of the project in 2008.	163 Magistrates
Computer Literacy Skills Audit and Training for Judges Computer literacy skills training to improve the utilisation of computers for research purposes by Judges has been conducted. Juta Law and Lexis Nexis have assisted to familiarise judges with their databases.	40 Judges
Computer Literacy Skills in Excel for Prosecutors The training of Prosecutors to improve their skills in capturing statistics in Excel format for Court Statistics reports has been conducted.	169 Prosecutors
The Application of Alternative Sentencing Legislation: The core objective of the training on alternative sentencing legislation is to ensure that common understandings of Restorative Justice amongst Justice sector stakeholders are developed. The programme is being rolled-out to all provinces.	330 Justice sector stakeholders
Training on Trial Management for Prosecutors Training on case planning, presentation and cross examination skills has been conducted by a former Judge of the High Court to Prosecutors in all 9 provinces.	197 Prosecutors
Cultural Diversity The intended outcome of the diversity management training has been to improve organisational efficiency by addressing issues of diversity. The training promotes an appreciation for diversity by creating a safe space for personnel to confront stereotypes. Understandings of diversity issues are deepened as personnel identify how negative stereotypes may adversely affect day-to-day activities in the workplace	68 Judges 79 Magistrates 59 DoJ and CD and NPA Senior Management
Sentencing Training Conference The purpose of the Sentencing Training conference, organised under the rubric of the Association of Regional Magistrates of Southern Africa (ARMSA), was to empower Regional Magistrates with legal knowledge on certain aspects of sentencing. Topics covered included: sentencing legislation; guidelines in the sentencing of child rape; the analysis of relevant case law, as well as evidentiary issues relating to sentencing.	186 Regional Magistrates