For the first time the Attorney General’s Office opened its doors to the public so that citizens may better understand the role of the office and how it works with the Ministry of the Interior, the police, and the courts on a daily basis.

The initiative, which was developed by the Development Information and Resource Center (CIRD) with the support of the Millennium Challenge Corporation Threshold Program, sought to generate greater visibility for the aforementioned institutions, as well as a better relationship with civil society.

Over the course of the expo 1,500 secondary school and university students, as well as citizens in general, were able to get to know the types of crimes that the Attorney General investigates, the tools that the office uses to carry-out investigations, and the institution’s different control bodies.  In addition, those who attended could develop a greater appreciation for the shared effort between the police, investigators, and judges to solve crimes and prosecute those responsible.

Attendees also had the opportunity to view the citizen participation mechanisms in place within the Attorney General’s Office, as well get to know the civil society initiatives in the justice sector.

Visitors met with representatives of the office and received informational materials distributed at stands staffed by members of the various sections of the Attorney General’s Office.  Among the themes represented by the stands were economic crimes, environment, gender, youth, indigenous rights, police reports, punishable actions, and arbitration, among others.

In addition, the public was able to view a staged crime scene, visit the forensic laboratory, and attend a mock trial with actual judges and prosecutors.  For greater effect, the office chose a real domestic violence case, the most common type of case in the country, that occurred in the city of Tobati in 2005.  The audio recording of the mock trial can be found on the Threshold Program Facebook page: www.facebook.com/programaumbralpy

Attorney General, the President of the Supreme Court, the Minister of Women, the Vice Minister of the Interior for Internal Security, the President of the Lower House of Congress, and USAID Director Rose Rakas.

The event took place in mid-September in the Attorney General’s Office training center.