Deadline: 10-Jul-2024
The Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs of the U.S. Department of State announces an open competition for organizations to submit proposals that implement elements from INL El Salvador’s roadmap to strengthen restorative and rehabilitative justice in El Salvador’s juvenile justice system, reduce juvenile recidivism rates, and restore community integrity.
The purpose of this project is to strengthen the regulatory framework of the juvenile justice system in conjunction with key stakeholders (the First Lady’s office, the National Council for Infancy, Childhood, and Adolescence (CONAPINA), the Supreme Court, the Attorney’s General Office, the Public Defender’s Office, the Ministry of Justice and Public Security, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Labor, Ministry of Health, and Ministry of Governance). Proposals should include activities to assist stakeholders in drafting a National Juvenile Justice Policy, assist CONAPINA in creating regulations, policies, and SOPs to effectively manage youth in conflict with the law (YICL), and help CONAPINA and juvenile judges improve coordination and work together to propose legal reforms that support rehabilitative programs for adolescents. Activities should increase shared understanding among key stakeholders, institutionalize rehabilitation programs for adolescents, and promote juvenile court judges applying more alternative sentencing options.
Project Goals and Objectives
- Project Goal: Juvenile Justice Institutions in El Salvador collaborate and coordinate to reform the juvenile justice system in accordance with international best practices included in the Juvenile Justice Roadmap.
- Objective 1: CONAPINA and juvenile justice actors institutionalize and develop a national juvenile justice policy in accordance with a regulatory framework that includes the recommendations of the Juvenile Justice Roadmap through regulations, policies, and programs.
- Activity 1.1: Within four months, provide an assessment of the national juvenile justice policy through interviews and/or meetings with the Office of the First Lady, CONAPINA, the Juvenile Justice Unit of the Supreme Court of Justice, and civil society rehabilitation program implementers, among others. Include in the assessment the status of other related policies and regulations. Identify requirements and provide an action plan for coordination.
- Activity 1.2: Within 12 months, with the existing juvenile justice working group, complete a draft of a national juvenile justice policy.
- Activity 1.3: Within fifteen months, disseminate and socialize the national juvenile justice policy with relevant institutions.
- Activity 1.4: Within eighteen months, support efforts to institutionalize the national juvenile justice policy.
- Objective 2: CONAPINA develops internal procedures, protocols, manuals, SOPs and guides to institutionalize best practices on rehabilitation and reinsertion models, including the rehabilitation models of INL’s implementers.
- Activity 2.1: Within four months, assess CONAPINA’s internal procedures, protocols, manuals, SOPs and guides to institutionalize best practices on rehabilitation and reinsertion models through interviews and/or meetings with the Office of the First Lady; CONAPINA; the Juvenile Justice Unit of the Supreme Court of Justice; and civil society actors in the rehabilitation space. Include in the assessment the status of other related policies and regulations. Identify requirements and provide an action plan for coordination.
- Activity 2.2: Within six months, assemble and coordinate a working group with CONAPINA to begin technical assistance to develop internal procedures, protocols, manuals, SOPs, and guides to institutionalize best practices on rehabilitation and reinsertion models contained in the recommendations from the Juvenile Justice Roadmap.
- Activity 2.3: Within fourteen months, based on findings of the assessment in Activity 2.2, finish drafting CONAPINA’s internal procedures, protocols, manuals, SOPs, and guides to institutionalize best practices on rehabilitation and reinsertion models.
- Activity 2.4: Within sixteen months, disseminate, socialize, and institutionalize CONAPINA’s internal procedures, protocols, manuals, SOPs, and guides to institutionalize with key stakeholders.
- Objective 3: Juvenile court judges and CONAPINA share a common understanding on juvenile justice best practices (including rehabilitative programs, alternative sentencing measures, and needed legal reforms) and have strengthened coordination procedures to manage YICL.
- Activity 3.1: Within four months, provide an assessment of potential areas to improve coordination between CONAPINA and the juvenile court as well as areas to propose legal reform that would benefit the rehabilitation and restoration of YICL.
- Activity 3.2: Within six months, establish a cohort and regular meetings of juvenile court judges of El Salvador and key CONAPINA officials to coordinate CONAPINA and court actions and provide recommendations for legal reform to better manage YICL.
- Activity 3.3: Within nine months, using the regular meetings from activity 3.2, draft and institutionalize the first coordination protocol for CONAPINA-juvenile court cooperation to improve managing YICL.
- Activity 3.4: Within twelve months, draft and institutionalize at least three additional protocols or procedures that improve coordination between detention centers and juvenile court justices.
- Activity 3.5: Within sixteen months, using the regular meetings from activity 3.2, identify and draft at least two legal reform proposals that will benefit juveniles in rehabilitation programs within detention centers.
- Activity 3.6: Within eighteen months disseminate and socialize the protocols developed to improve coordination between the detention centers and juvenile court judges.
Funding Information
- Total available funding: $700,000.00
- Award amounts: awards may range from a minimum of $450,000.00 to a maximum of $700,000.00
- Length of performance period: 24 months
- Anticipated program start date: September, 2024
- Number of awards anticipated: 1 award (dependent on amounts)
Project Deliverables
- Deliverable 1: Report on the Juvenile Justice Policy Status Assessment.
- Deliverable 2: National Juvenile Justice Policy document.
- Deliverable 3: Report on the CONAPINA internal policies assessment.
- Deliverable 4: Updated regulations and internal policies and, procedures for CONAPINA protocols, manuals, SOPs, and guidelines to institutionalize best practices on rehabilitation and reinsertion models.
- Deliverable 5: Report on the assessment of how CONAPINA and juvenile courts can better cooperate and define the legal reforms needed to support rehabilitative justice for juveniles.
- Deliverable 6: A summary document with readouts and next steps from each monthly coordination meetings between the juvenile judges of El Salvador and CONAPINA.
- Deliverable 7: Four coordination protocols between CONAPINA and the Juvenile Justice Unit of the CSJ.
Participants and Audiences
- The project will work directly with CONAPINA’s leadership, juvenile court judges, civil society organizations, and private stakeholders in youth reinsertion. INL prefers a multi-sectoral approach that will include local and international civil society organizations, faith-based organizations, academic organizations, and others.
Eligibility Criteria
- The following organizations are eligible to apply:
- U.S.-based non-profit/non-governmental organizations (NGOs);
- U.S.-based educational institutions subject to section 501(c)(3) of the U.S. tax code or section 26 US 115 of the US 115 of the U.S. tax code;
- Foreign based (non-local) non-profits/non-governmental organizations (NGOs);
- Foreign based (non-local) educational institutions
For more information, visit Grants.gov.