INL Grant: Enhancing BiH’s Criminal Procedure Codes

Through capacity building programs, INL plays a vital role in the Department of State’s efforts to strengthen the rule of law in BiH, including by helping strengthen the justice sector and improving citizens’ confidence governing institutions.  In an effort to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the criminal justice system, INL seeks to assist local experts and justice sector professionals in recommending amendments to the CPCs to help establish a more effective and efficient criminal justice system and to assist BiH in meeting its obligations under the Bosnia and Herzegovina Justice Sector Reform Strategy 2014-2018 and for EU accession.

The goal of this project is to organize and facilitate a Bosnian-led process to redraft the 2003 CPCs and to update them; eliminate contradictions, inconsistencies, and obsolete passages; align them with decisions from the BiH Constitutional Court; and ensure the result is in compliance with BiH laws, EU standards, and international best practices.  Post’s OPDAT Resident Legal Advisor (RLA) will act as lead facilitator during this project.  Additionally, the project must provide opportunities to law school students to intern, support, or observe this project.  The internship must not be considered as an add-on to this project.  Rather, this internship is intended to educate future lawyers and legislators on how to properly update the CPC.