Description
Book SynopsisJudicial reform became an important part of the agenda for development in Latin America early in the 1980s. This book aims to turn the spotlight on the problems in the movement toward judicial reform in Latin America and to suggest ways to keep the movement on track toward achieving its multiple, though often conflicting, goals.
Trade Review“Lynn Hammergren’s outstanding book addresses one of the most important questions in democracy studies today—how to strengthen the rule of law through judicial reform. Her treatment of this subject is original, critical, richly informed, and comprehensive. I recommend the book to practitioners and academic researchers with equal enthusiasm.”
—Michael Dodson,Texas Christian University
“Hammergren’s insightful and carefully nuanced criticisms of Latin American judicial reform projects are truly impressive. This book is a tour de force that should be read by anyone interested in judicial reform, as well as by anyone interested in the role of the judiciary in Latin American countries.”
—Keith S. Rosenn,University of Miami School of Law
Table of ContentsContents
Acknowledgments
Introduction: Twenty Years of Reforms and Not a Consensus in Sight
Part I: Five Approaches to Judicial Reform
1. Criminal Justice Reform: Human Rights, Crime Control, and Other Unlikely Bedfellows
2. Judicial Modernization: Increasing the Efficiency and Efficacy of Court Actions
3. Developing a Professional, Institutionally Independent Judiciary
4. Access to Justice: Legal Assistance, Special Courts, Alternative Dispute Resolution, and Beyond
5. Strengthening the Judiciary’s Role as a Check on Other Branches of Government
Part II: Problems and Remedies
6. Judicial Reform as a Problem of Focus: Why the Parts Don’t Add Up to a Coherent Whole
7. Improving the Knowledge Base for Judicial Reform Programs
8. Toward a New Strategic Model
9. A Political Agenda for Reforming the Reforms
References
Index
