Program to Support the Criminal Justice System in Ecuador

The summary for the Program to Support the Criminal Justice System in Ecuador grant is detailed below. This summary states who is eligible for the grant, how much grant money will be awarded, current and past deadlines, Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) numbers, and a sampling of similar government grants. Verify the accuracy of the data FederalGrants.com provides by visiting the webpage noted in the Link to Full Announcement section or by contacting the appropriate person listed as the Grant Announcement Contact. If any section is incomplete, please visit the website for the International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affair, which is the U.S. government agency offering this grant.

Program to Support the Criminal Justice System in Ecuador: The general purpose of the program is to assist the Government of Ecuador (GOE) to strengthen the effectiveness of the prosecution and adjudication capabilities of Ecuadorian criminal justice actors and support GOE initiatives to transition from the current mixed procedures code to a more accusatory model. Phase 1 of the program focused on disseminating the understanding of the accusatory model and training of operators -i.e. investigators, prosecutors and judges- in basic oral techniques and skills. Procedural rules, however, continue to impede expeditious, fair prosecutions and undermine human rights and due process. In October 2008, Ecuador approved a new Constitution that introduced substantive changes and created a new and more complex judicial sector environment. The 2008 Constitution introduced new standards for the prosecution of criminals and several new measures that allowed challenges to judicial rulings, including challenges before the newly created Constitutional Court. Phase 2 of the program continued training of criminal justice operators in basic oral techniques and skills, but also expanded upon this training by providing advanced skills training on effectively prosecuting major crimes, such as narcotics trafficking, money laundering, and trafficking in persons. This included supporting efforts on the establishment of a major crimes task force to prosecute more effectively these serious crimes. This program also focused efforts on strengthening the criminal justice system through discussions on the current constitutional and legal framework. Lastly, the criminal reform initiatives were enhanced with communication and outreach programs, to include law schools throughout Ecuador. The new phase of the program will build on the previous two phases to include training on oral advocacy skills and advanced training on serious transnational crimes as well as putting in place a network of qualified local persons who will be able to take over in the future when the program has completed its mission. The new phase will also incorporate activities dedicated to reducing corruption within the Ecuadorian judicial system. Applicants must submit proposals using www.grants.gov by 11:59 p.m. EDT on February 18, 2011. Please note that during the submission period www.grants.gov may experience higher than normal application volume due to Recovery Act-related opportunities. Difficulties encountered in using www.grants.gov will not be grounds for extending this deadline. Applicants are also strongly encouraged to email copies of all documents to [email protected] after the application package has been submitted via www.grants.gov. Please include a copy of the Grants.gov tracking number as well as the official date and time of the Grants.gov submission in your email to [email protected]. All applicants will be notified by the INL Grants Office that either negotiations are being initiated, that additional information is required, or that a negative decision has been reached. Awards are expected to be made (subject to the availability of funding) by March 23, 2011. Questions regarding this request for application must be submitted to points of contact no later than 5:00 p.m. by February 14, 2011. Questions received after this date cannot be addressed due to the scheduled closing date of this request for application. All questions and answers will be posted as an attachment to this RFA daily, if any.