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Photo: National Judiciary School

Current and aspiring judges participate in a training session on court procedures at the National Judiciary School.

An effective, modern judiciary is critical to a democratic society. Citizens should feel confident that their justice system is independent, efficient, and fair. One of the most effective tools for building a modern judiciary that upholds this ideal is training.

To assist the Dominican Republic in its judicial reform efforts, USAID helped create the National Judiciary School, which is designed specifically to train both existing and aspiring judges.

To get started, the school recruited volunteer judges to help determine training needs, design courses, and identify and prepare trainers. The goal was to provide rigorous programs for judges, clerks, and other judiciary employees. Once the curriculum and trainers were in place, the National Judiciary School opened for business.

The school has trained more than 70 percent of the country’s 575 judges in modern judicial procedures. In addition, more than 700 justice sector employees took training courses in administration and management.

As a testament to the quality of education the school provides, the National Judiciary School has been recognized as one of the most effective schools of its kind in Latin America.

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