The Center for the Administration of Justice was established
in 1984 as a unit of the College of Health and
Urban Affairs (CHUA) at Florida International
University to engage in research, training and
public education about the administration of
justice in Florida and Latin America. With
offices in Miami and overseas, CAJ has become a
unique international resource at the forefront
of justice sector reform in this hemisphere.
"CAJ's pioneering work called the attention of international
agencies and the entire international community
towards the justice sector problems in Latin
American countries," said Roberto Cuellar,
Executive Director of the Inter-American
Institute of Human Rights. "Because of it, law
reform, modernization of judicial structures,
and judicial training are, among others,
essential components of the international
cooperation that is trying to strengthen rule of
law and democracy in the Latin American region."
CAJ employs a multidisciplinary and international staff of
specialists, including lawyers, political
scientists, public administrators and public
policy analysts. It has become a leading source
of information and leadership on justice sector
reform issues in Latin America. Its assessments
have been widely disseminated and have been
critical in shaping public policy throughout the
region. The Center is also involved in research,
technical assistance, preparation of reports and
publications, training, and dissemination of
information through the mass media. For the last
three years, CAJ has supported a website for the
dissemination and free downloading of its
publications. Public education has, and
continues to be, one of its primary missions.
Since its inception, the Center has been at the forefront of
research and planning in the field of justice
administration in Latin America. "While being an
academic entity, we stress our ability to
identify and solve problems through the adoption
of cost-effective and practical solutions," said
Luis Salas, Director of the Center. "Our
in-house expertise combined with an extensive
multicultural network of experts and resources
allows us to provide high quality services to
public sector clients throughout the
hemisphere."
International agencies have recognized CAJ's capacity to
deliver quality work in a timely fashion while
ensuring sound fiscal management of donor's
funds. These agencies have awarded over $16
million dollars to CAJ since 1984.
Giving special emphasis on support to local efforts to
strengthen and invigorate fair and independent
justice systems, the CAJ regularly works with
public officials, scholars and practitioners in
Latin America.
"The Center's activities have had a profound and positive
impact in all areas of justice administration in
Latin America," said Justice Daniel Gonzalez
Alvarez, President of the Criminal Chamber of
the Supreme Court of Costa Rica.
The Center advances its academic mission by sponsoring
workshops and seminars, producing publications,
entering into academic exchange programs and
participating in academic workshops and
meetings. "We have held national workshops in
six countries to review the state of the justice
and to encourage national leaders to address
concerns raised at these sessions," said Salas.
Additionally, we have conducted national
seminars to review specific issues facing the
sector. CAJ has also managed regional
conferences on major issues, including:
information systems technologies, media-justice
relations, court administration, gender issues
facing the justice sector, alternative dispute
resolution, property registration systems, civil
procedure, and the impact of the justice system
on indigenous communities. Additionally, CAJ has
cosponsored meetings of Presidents of Latin
American Supreme Courts and Presidents of
Central American Supreme Courts to discuss
common issues facing their systems.
In addition to these activities in furtherance of the
improvement of the administration of justice in
Latin America. “We have conducted a variety of
workshops in Florida dealing with the State’s
justice system,” said Salas. “Two years ago, for
example, we cosponsored a workshop with the Dade
County Bar Association on public ethics in South
Florida. We have also sponsored training
seminars on domestic violence and juvenile crime
in Miami-Dade County and this year CAJ sponsored
a regional workshop in Orlando on the problem of
domestic violence in Central Florida and the
justice system's response."
CAJ has entered into academic cooperation agreements with a
number of foreign academic institutions. As part
of these agreements, Center staff participated
in workshops sponsored by law faculties in
Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador,
Honduras, Israel, Nicaragua, Panama, South
Africa, Spain, United Kingdom, and Uruguay.
In addition to its international mission, CAJ is cognizant
of its responsibilities to Florida and has been
engaged in a series of crime prevention
initiatives in the State. The goal of this
program, funded by Florida’s Attorney General,
is to educate Hispanics on crime prevention and
the operation of the legal system. This is a
project that began in 1995 with the goal of
reducing the incidence of crime in the Hispanic
community and to inform this community about the
operation of Florida’s justice system.
“The future holds great promise for the Center as the FIU
College of Law becomes a reality,” said Salas.
“The FIU law school will have a unique impact on
the Center given its focus on law reform.”
University Park Campus MARC 330
11200 SW 8th Street Miami, FL 33199