Resources & Tools

This report presents the research findings and analysis of ten months of field study as part of the United States Institute of Peace and George Washington University project titled "From Current Practices of Justice to Rule of Law: Policy Options for Liberia's First Post-Conflict Decade." The analysis we present, based on three types of research methods (focus groups, individual interviews with parties to specific disputes, and interviews with chiefs, zoes [traditional leaders], and other justice practitioners) employed primarily in three counties (Grand Gedeh, Lofa, Nimba, and less extensively in parts of Monrovia), is intended to provide the Liberian government and other stakeholders in the country with more robust evidence than has hitherto been available on how both formal and customary justice systems are perceived and utilized by Liberians.

This path-breaking volume presents broad guidelines and specific prescriptions for combating serious crime in societies emerging from conflict.

A new USIP report on Haiti's criminal laws examines the shortcomings of the impoverished country's criminal code – and finds promising opportunities to modernize and reform the laws. Despite Haiti's numerous challenges, the report concludes that new laws in Haiti will usher in a new era where the criminal justice system serves all people of Haiti, including the poor, vulnerable and marginalized, and upon which respect for the law and legitimacy of a stronger judicial system overall can be built.

Commission of Inquiry: The Special Prosecution Process by the Office of the Special Prosecutor
Duration: 1993 – 2007(?)
Charter: Proclamation No. 22/1992
Commissioners: more than 400 staff at peak
Report: [Public report on first year of activities]

Truth Commission: Truth, Justice, and Reconciliation
Duration: 2 years anticipated
Charter: Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission Bill
Commissioners: 7
Report: The commission is still in session.