The Partnership of the Caribbean and the European Union on Justice (PACE Justice) Regional Programme

The European Union funded Regional Justice Project (“PACE”- Partnership of the Caribbean and European Union on Justice), aims to reduce the backlog of cases in the criminal justice systems in Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Guyana, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, and Trinidad and Tobago. The project focuses on bolstering the institutional capabilities of law enforcement, prosecutors, and the judiciary in the Caribbean and strives to streamline the handling of criminal cases, addressing backlogs effectively and efficiently. 

This initiative comprises three interconnected components, working together to enhance the region's criminal justice system:

1. Enabling technology and systems training to improve efficiency of justice administration.
2. Empowering stakeholders through capacity building across all elements of the administration of justice, with a focus on service design and delivery.  
3. The Establishment of a National Prosecution Service (NPS).

Facts

Value of Project in USD

$1,236,195.15 (Trinidad and Tobago Allocation)

$11,077,901.03 (Overall Project Allocation)

Duration

Four (4) years

Donor

European Union

Implementing Partners

Office of the Attorney General and Ministry of Legal Affairs (AGLA), Trinidad and Tobago Police Service, Judiciary of Trinidad and Tobago.

Key Milestones & Outputs Achieved to Date 

• The project will facilitate technology and digitization to improve the efficiency of justice sector administration thereby enhancing access to justice for citizens.
• The Administration of Justice [Indictable Proceedings] Act, 2011(as amended) (“AJIPAA”), which removes preliminary enquiries and progresses matters directly to the High Court was proclaimed in December 2023. The new processes require electronic filing of documents by the police and the prosecution and required massive investments in ICT equipment. 
• The project was able to provide 165 items of ICT equipment to Judiciary of Trinidad and Tobago, Trinidad and Tobago Police Services, Director of Public Prosecutions in November 2023.

Project Team Members

Sharifa Ali-Abdullah- Assistant Resident Representative (Programme)

Stefan Affonso- Head of Experimentation, Accelerator Lab